Stronger Wolf
by EmoraD
Summary: Harry realizes his greatest threat is within him, as a long dormant entity inside his mind comes alive. AU Lily has a brother that Harry lives with. Addicted!Harry, Mentor!Snape. Starts in third year, not completely canon. Rated M just in case.
1. A Bad Start

The weather was chilly and the sky overcast. Harry hurredly boarded the train seeking warmth and found a compartment to wait for Hermione and Ron. All the compartments were occupied so he placed his trunk and sat down in the one with only a sleeping man inside. He rubbed his hands together and waited for the rest of the students to board the train.

This summer had been unusually tense. Since he started going to Hogwarts he ordered the Daily Prophet to arrive at his home so he could keep track of the happenings in the wizarding world. Uncle Matt also agreed with this idea, desiring to know as a guardian what was happening while his nephew was at school. Harry never thought of it when he first came to the wizarding world, but he soon realized how well his Uncle handled raising a wizard. His first year at Hogwarts he saw several muggle-born students who were obviously shunned by their families, scared by the new realities that was introduced into their lives. He knew he was a wizard since his Uncle first talked to him about it when he was young, after his first bout with accidental magic. Before coming to Hogwarts his Uncle always talked about Lily and James. He told of what he knew of the school, and what they learned, but he mostly talked of their personalities and how much they loved each other and their son. But since his return to Hogwarts his Uncle closed up. He never talked of Lily or James, not on his own accord. If Harry asked something his Uncle would answer only briefly, then leave the room to avoid more questions. At first Harry understood it as grief. Lily was his mother but she was also Matt's sister. Grieving over a death caused by magical ways must have been confusing and frustrating, knowing that as a muggle he couldn't do anything to protect his only sibling. By going to Hogwarts Harry had made the magical world real again, reminding his Uncle of the dark threat that had ravaged the years past and threatened to make a comeback.

News of Sirius Black escaping Azkaban brought about a new threat level. Whenever Harry went outside great measures were taken to ensure that his Uncle knew where he was at every second. Somedays he refused to let him step out the door, feeling as though something dangerous lay just outside the gate. Whenever a dog barked he demanded that he and his cousins go down to the basement while he went outside to investigate. Matt refused to answer why he was so jumpy, why the convicts escape was so inimical. Looking at Uncle Matt everytime he read news on Black, Harry felt an indomitable feeling of absoluteness settle on his shoulders. Matt's jaw would set, hands clenched tightly, and his green eyes, the same green eyes that he and his mother shared, would tense and darken, attempting to scream out inhuman truths that had been held within for too long. This wasn't just grief, it was something else that Harry couldn't exactly delineate.

The train lurched forward. Harry moved toward the compartment door and opened it. Moving his hair out of his face he blinked and peered down the walkway. Most of the students were settled into their compartments, hugging friends and talking about the summer holidays. He was about to retreat back to his seat when he saw bushy brown hair and a streak of red catch his eyes. He waved is hand and caught their attention. Hermione huffed and pushed past Ron, ignoring his mumbled words and slight blush on his cheeks. When she approached Harry with her trunk he noticed her clothes were drenched and muddy.

"What happened to you 'Mione?"

Harry grabbed her trunk and placed it up top next to his. She plopped down on the seat and began casting drying and cleansing spells on her clothes and shoes.

"_Ronald_," she began with irritation, "knocked me down while protecting his pathetic rat from my so-called 'cat from hell'." Harry raised his brow at her. "I got a familiar while getting my school supplies, it was a gift from my parents."

She opened the door and peered out, shouting when she spotted the source of her irritation. "Ron, I told you to forget about looking for Crookshanks!"

Ron appeared in front of the compartment, red with frustration. "I wasn't looking for _Crookshanks_, I was looking for Scabbers. That no good cat of yours probably ate him. I'd be lucky if I'm even able to find a piece of his tail."

"Crookshanks wouldn't eat Scabbers and you know it!"

Harry sat down and waited for their fight to be over. Even though they were his friends he was greatly annoyed by how much they bickered. He was easily able to tune out their bitter remarks but he wasn't sure about the other passenger. He peered at the sleeping man, really noticing him for the first time. His hair was short and light brown, most of his face was hidden by his tattered and torn coat but he could see an aged scar across his brow. His breathing was shallow but easy. _Is this the new professor? _The mans trunk confirmed his thoughts: Professor R. J. Lupin_. _Harry frowned. _He doesn't look like much. At least he isn't a Lockhart._ Even if he was incompetent like Lockhart, Harry had planned on continuing his own studies in the Defense Against the Dark Arts. After last year when he killed the Basilisk he knew he needed to be more prepared.

While looking at the new professor Harry noticed the pressure in the air change. It felt heavy and unnatural. He tried peering out the window but it was fogged and frozen over. His breath appeared as he exhaled. "Somethings wrong." He stated, turning back to his fighting friends.

"You've always hated Scabbers," Ron snapped at Hermione, looking redder than he had a minute ago. "Your cat just picked up on your obvious desire to get rid of him."

"Guys, seriously, something is wrong!" Harry looked at the window again, seeing a dark figure through the fogged glass. Hermione snorted at Ron.

"If I wanted to get rid of your precious rat I would have killed him and ate him myself!"

Ron opened his mouth, preparing to release all the red hot frustration building up in his face when the train came to a sudden halt. The two teens bumped into the side of the compartment at the sudden stop in movement.

"There is something on the train." Harry told them as they sat down. He got up and locked the door before returning to the window. "I saw something move outside the window, I don't know what it is."

He jerked back when he saw a skeleton-like hand cross by.

"Maybe we should wake the professor." Hermione's voice was shaky. Neither of them moved to wake the professor.

They sat, and pulled out their wands when the lights went out throughout the train. They could hear the other students throughout the train gasp and mutter to each other nervously.A blonde haired prefect startled them when she unlocked the door with a swish of her wand and peered inside. "Don't leave your seats, the train will be moving again momentarily." She left to deliver the same message to other students.

"They must know whats going on to give such a bland message." Ron stated, annoyance jumping from his words, trying to hide the unsteadiness in his voice. "If this ends up just being one of Fred and Georges pranks I'm gonna hex them."

Suddenly, Harry's vision tunneled and the environment around him went mute. A wave of thick darkness had wrapped around his entire being. He had felt it like an after shock, spreading from the front of the train and past him. His chest constricted and his head became fogged and dizzy. The thick blanket wrapped around his mind, squirming through his head while his limbs were weighed down by the grasps of the ascended darkness. His mouth opened as he tried to scream. He became aware that he was on the floor, having fallen from his seat while thrashing around trying to get the unnatural entity off his body. He felt Ron and Hermione kneel next to him, upsetting their previous rigidness with alarmed movements. The dark entity tightened around his mind as it clawed at his thoughts and memories. His body shook and thrashed as he desperately tried to get rid of the dark presence that was painfully constricting his chest and tearing at his sanity. The entity abruptly disengaged its searching claws from his mind as it redirected its attack to the back of his forehead. His scar flamed his vision with light as it flared with splintery pain. The claws scrapped and stabbed at his scar as though it were trying to remove it from existence. Harry was no longer aware of what he was doing. He didn't know if he was still fighting or if he was screaming, all he knew was that he was filled with pain, and that nothing he could do would make it stop. The clawing intensified as _something _from his scar fought back. His body started to relax as the heavy presence slowly slipped away. He was faintly aware of hearing noise again, of opening his eyes and seeing blurry outlines of people, hearing there voices and words that he didn't understand. All of that meant nothing to him as the _thing_ from his scar roamed his mind, looking for a new place to affix itself. His eyes rolled back and his body went limp as the new monster implanted itself in the center of his mind. He knew nothing more as he let out a shaky breath and blacked out.


	2. Dementors are a Bitch

A/N: Throughout the story I will be adding tid-bits of information on Harry's Uncle Matthew. I replaced the Dursley's as his guardians because a new element needed to be introduced into the story. Matt brings a link that is needed throughout the story and I didn't feel I could get the needed results using the Dursley's. Also, the Dursley's just suck. I've always wanted to read a story where Harry isn't being abused by a fat, drunken englishman. I decided to try it out, I promise to try to make it interesting.

A/N#2: Also, I am getting my inspiration for the characters personalities and actions through the books and movies but I am also putting my own ideas into their character.

Dementors are a Bitch

_The strongest human instinct is to impart information, the second strongest is to resist it. _

_ -Kenneth Grahame_

The first thing he realized upon waking was the dull throbbing he felt in his scar. The excruciating pain it had caused earlier seemed distant and far away, as though it was only imagined. He became aware of other things as his mind slowly finished wakening, such as the fact that he wasn't on the train but in a plump bed instead, laying over the covers in his damp muggle clothes. He opened his eyes further and peered around as he swallowed dryly, realizing his extreme thirst as well. Before he shifted his way too much out of bed a glass of water was handed to him. He downed the clear liquid before peering at the visitor.

"Professor Lupin?" The man's shoulders were slouched in fatigue, and his face seemed paler than he remembered on the train. "What are you doing here?"

As Harry spoke a wisp of dark fog swirled in his vision. It didn't clear away at all when he blinked. The empty glass in his hand was taken and set on a bedside table.

"You really scared your friends and I on the train." The swirling fog made it hard to focus on the Professor as he spoke. He rubbed his eyes before sitting himself up further on the bed. The fog in his vision churned again as he spoke to Professor Lupin.

"What happened?"

He wasn't asking because he didn't remember, in fact he could remember perfectly. Pain is a great way to seer something into your memory. What he didn't know was what had caused the pain in the first place, and why he was the only one who seemed to have experienced it. Harry checked around the Hospital Wing again. The only ailing student here was him.

"I'm not entirely sure. Your friends said you didn't start having a fit until the Dementors boarded the train."

Harry hated that he used the word 'fit'.

"Dementors?" They sounded familiar. Did his Uncle mention it to him once?

"They are the creatures that guard Azkaban Prison."

Harry remembered the window of the train freezing over, as well as his resulting 'fit'.

"I can see why."

He laid his head back down on the pillow, closing his eyes. The swirls in his eyes might go away if he rested a bit. The Wing echoed somewhat as Professor Lupin moved a chair next to his bed and sat down.

"Now that you know what happened on the train, do you think you could tell me what happened in there?" Harry opened his eyes and saw the Professor's hand move forward, two fingers lightly tapping his forehead. It reminded him once again of how tender his scar was.

How was he supposed to answer that? Harry winced as he recalled every agonizing detail of the torrent his mind and body experienced on the train. Even if he attempted to explain what happened they would think he was making it up, or had some sort of mental disorder. Either way it wouldn't make for a good school year.

"_Don't worry too much about it Professor. A dark entity was released to roam freely through my mind, but I'm sure it will go away in a few weeks if I remember to eat my vegetables." _

Yeah, right. Better to keep his mouth shut. There was no way he would even attempt to describe what happened until he understood the phenomenon more himself.

He frowned as he observed the dark swirls play in front of his eyes. Perhaps it wasn't that we just tired.

"I honestly don't remember that much. All I know was that I was on the ground one minute and the next

I'm waking up in the Hospital Wing."

_Go away now please._

He rolled over away from the Professor, hoping the gesture wouldn't be seen as rude, but rather as a desire to sleep.

"Alright, well Madame Pomfrey is here to check up on you. Hope to see you in class."

Harry relaxed slightly as he heard footsteps retreat from the infirmary. Even if Professor Lupin didn't entirely believe his story, it would get him off his back for a while. Besides, it wasn't his place as a teacher to put much thought in the happenings of one of his students.

"Now Mr. Potter, I want you to stay in the infirmary tonight to ensure you get enough rest. Most people take a while to recover from the effects of the dementors."

Madame Pomfrey swooped to his bedside table while talking, holding a potion vial filled with purple liquid in her hand.

"This is Dreamless Sleep Potion. I wouldn't give this to a student under normal circumstances, but the dementors affect on you was extensive and will help you recover by class time tomorrow." She placed the vial onto his bedside table, then quickly scanned her eyes over his appearance.

"You are still really pale but at least you've stopped twitching."

He didn't know why, but that comment made him blush profusely.

"Madame Pomfrey, what exactly does Dreamless Sleep Potion do?"

She waved her wand and a pair of pajamas appeared in the seat Professor Lupin had recently occupied.

"As the name implies Mr. Potter. Dementors are notorious for bringing out the worst dreams."

She refilled the empty glass with water and handed it to him, making sure he drank all of it.

"The potion works quickly so take it after you've dressed for bed. I will check up on you in the morning, to see if you're well enough to go to breakfast."

She left to give him privacy, dimming the lights in the wing with a flick of her wand. One of the things Harry liked most about Pomfrey was that she didn't pester her patients with questions about how they exactly ended up under her care in the first place.

He quickly changed his clothes before laying back in bed. He had the potion in his hand but he wasn't ready to take it yet. He closed his eyes, hiding the shadows that had been playing in front of his eyes since he first spoke to Lupin. His muscles twitched slightly as he started to relaxed. He hadn't realized how sore he was until he had gotten up to change into his pajamas.

He fingered the dreamless sleep potion and sighed. He was glad for once that he was staying in the Hospital Wing. He never would have been able to rest once he got to Gryffindor tower. His presence would have caused a brouhaha among the students as they clamored around him to ask questions about the events on the train.

He stared at the ceiling in the infirmary, letting his mind wander as he watched the light darken, the moon taking dominance over the world once the sun had completely disappeared. The shadows that had danced before his eyes earlier had completely disappeared by now. He swallowed the purple potion, relaxing his head back down, head hitting the pillow just as he fell into a deep sleep.

xXxXxXx

"Glad to see you are doing well Mr. Potter, although it didn't seem to help your mood at all"

Harry grunted. He had awoken this morning, thinking everything was peachy when the shadows returned in front of his vision again. He wouldn't be normal if he didn't feel something about the anomaly that made itself home in his mind, and right now he could deal with being irritated but couldn't handle the fear he felt quivering beneath the surface. There was no denying it now. Something was wrong with Harry Potter.

"Can I just go now? I want to get my class schedule before breakfast is over."

Madame Pomfrey clicked her tongue in annoyance as she saw him eye the door of the infirmary.

"You may, but make sure to return here after classes are over. I don't want to get woken up in the middle of night by something I could have fixed earlier."

Harry agreed with Pomfrey's request and left the infirmary, heading down to the great hall for something to eat. He had his wand but he still needed to get his bag from the common room. An elf had appeared to him after he woke with a change of robes and his wand, telling him that all his belongings had been placed in his dorm already. But first he had to get his schedule to know what he needed for the day.

The Great Hall was filled with students, all gabbing about their summer holiday and contemplating which friends they will have classes with this term. He peered his head over to the Gryffindor table and scanned the crowd until he saw Ron and Hermione. He waved at them as he walked toward them.

He had tried looking at Hermione and Ron when they greeted him but he couldn't. The shadows jumped in his field of vision again, it distracted him so much that he couldn't even focus on their faces.

"Oh Harry, I'm so glad that you're alright!" Hermione hugged him before letting him sit down at the table. "Pomfrey wouldn't let us see you at all once we got you to the Wing. I was so worried something was wrong, but I'm glad that you are well."

"The way you started flaying about on the train really freaked me out." Ron stuffed a huge mound of pancakes into his mouth. "I thought you were being possessed or something."

Sometimes Harry hated how Ron was so naively crude.

"Do you remember what happened though Harry?" She had waited to ask until Ron left. Harry saw him shyly approaching a girl at the Ravenclaw table. "Why did you react that way to the Dementors?" Hermione had turned her full attention to him. He knew she would demand more answers than Professor Lupin did.

"I don't remember much, but Professor Lupin told me what happened after I blacked out. I never would have imagined creatures like Dementors ever existing." Hopefully the subject of the dark creatures would distract Hermione into talking about a different subject.

"Well, on the train you kept saying 'get it off of me!' as though you were being attacked."

_Guess not. _He piled some eggs on his plate but mostly focused on preparing his coffee. He wished he could talk to his friends about what he experienced, but he knew that Hermione would go blab about it to a teacher and Ron would treat him as though he were a mental patient. He refused to put up with any of that. She would have to deal with her unanswered questions as far as he was concerned.

She eyed him as he continued to ignore her, not meeting her gaze fully. He was still distracted with the shadows playing before his eyes to really care. _Why won't it go away!_

"Are you sure you don't remember anything?"

Shit. Hermione was always too perceptive for her own good. She probably saw the way his eyes wandered when he tried looking at her. He put his full attention on his cup of coffee. He was too tired to continue to play anymore games.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it okay? Just drop it."

"Harry! I am only trying to help. If something did happen you know I could..."

"I said to drop it!"

Hermione jumped as he slammed his fist on the table. The other students at the table looked over at him. He could hear them start to whisper when McGonagall swished her wand and all of the students schedules went flying all over the Great Hall. Thank God for small miracles. His outburst was already forgotten by the other students, distracted by the beginnings of the new term. He refused to look at Hermione. Her breathing was ragged and tense. He knew his outburst would upset her, but he hadn't intended to make her cry.

He snatched his schedule in mid-air before it dropped onto his plate of food. He peered at his schedule, not out of curiosity but as a way to distract himself from the transparent entity that made itself home in front of his pupils.

_Day A:_

_Transfiguration  
_

_ Charms  
_

_ Ancient Runes  
_

_ Lunch and study time  
_

_ Potions  
_

_Day B:_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts_

_Herbology_

_Astronomy_

_Lunch and study time_

_History of Magic  
_

He was about to speak to Hermione, thinking talking about classes will cheer her up, when Ron came over and plopped down between them.

"Look, I got Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid! I bet we wouldn't even have to go and we would still pass." His bubble of excitement was burst when Hermione scolded him.

"You will not skip that class! That would put Hagrid in a very awkward position, since he is not only our teacher but our friend. You should be supporting him Ron not using him."

Ron rolled his eyes and waved her comment off to the side. "Whatever. I know an easy class when I see it." He peered at Harry's schedule.

"Wait, why don't you have Care of Magical Creatures?" He peered closer at Harry's schedule. Suddenly his face went very pale. He looked at Harry, mortification streaked across his face.

"_Ancient Runes_?" His voice was small and high pitched. "You replaced a class taught by Hagrid for one that requires FOUR textbooks!" He reeled on Hermione.

"Was this your idea?" He pointed at Harry's schedule? "Why did you think Harry would want to take the same worthless class as you?"

"Ancient Runes is not worthless, and I didn't make Harry do anything!" She was getting extremely hysterical. Not only was Ron unknowingly cruel, he also didn't have the ability to know when to shut up.

Hermione grabbed her bag and lifted it over her shoulder, obviously restraining herself from hitting Ron over the head with it.

"Harry decided to take that class on his own. I didn't have any say in his choices, but I am glad that he's actually thinking about his future studies instead of just looking for classes that will give him an easy way out."

Harry grabbed his schedule back from Ron. Hermione briskly walked out of the Great Hall and toward the Library.

"Did you really want to take that class?"

Harry nodded.

"Why?" Ron sized himself up, ready to shoot down any reasoning Harry would give him.

"Because it was one of my mum's favorite classes."

Ron left him alone after that.

xXxXxXx

Harry jumped down the last flight of stairs as he made his way to Transfiguration. He had forgotten about getting his bag in the Tower until breakfast was over. He was already 5 minutes late. _Why did the Common Room have to be on the top floor?_

He ran into the classroom just as McGonagall finished reading off the last name on roll. She peered at him as he sat down in the back of the class.

"10 points from Gryffindor. This is the first class of the school year Mr. Potter. It isn't a good habit to already be late for class."

One of the students in the front row flipped him off when Professor McGonagall started her lecture. He couldn't really see who it was. The shadows in front of his vision diverted his attention from the upset student. Great. He was reminded of last year when everyone thought he was the Heir of Slytherin. The only difference this year was that he wasn't hearing homicidal snakes in the walls, instead he had a being inside his head that thought it was funny to play tag with itself in front of his eyes.

Taking notes at first was difficult, he couldn't really see the chalk board at the front of the class, but as time went on, McGonagall's recited lecture seemed to calm the shadows in front of his eyes. He sighed, as the unknown tension he had been holding in his chest all morning seemed to relax. It seemed odd to him that he was taking notes. His first two years at Hogwarts he didn't really care about taking notes or studying for tests. He only cared about the practical work, thinking the rest was useless. But after nearly being killed by the Basilisk and the memory of Tom Riddle he knew he could no longer do things half-assed. He didn't know what his future would hold as Voldemort's existence was still a possibility, but he knew he had to prepare for the unexpected.

He was glad that he was late to class. He wouldn't have been able to focus his mind and calm down if he had sat next to Ron, who would do nothing but nag him the whole time with questions about why he was taking notes in class, how he could just copy off of Hermione afterward. In Charms class he was also saved from Ron's crass comments by the busy spell work of learning an Unbreakable Charm. Hermione on the other hand smiled at him in surprise at his new found devotion to studying. He took it as a sign that she wasn't mad at his behavior towards her at breakfast.

Ron, Hermione, and Harry left Charms class and prepared to go to their last one before lunch.

"See you at lunch." Ron said before heading to the Tower for Divination. "You sure you don't want to come Harry?" He asked with a flicker of hope in his eyes, completely ignoring Hermione as she glared balls of flame at him.

"No Ron, that's okay." He smiled at his best friends disappointment. "I really do want this class. I hope you understand."

"Yeah, I guess." Ron mumbled under his breath before turning around and heading towards the Tower.

"He'll be over it before dinner tonight." Hermione stated as they headed towards Ancient Runes.

"Yeah I know." Harry grinned widely. He felt a lot better than he did this morning.

As they neared the door to class Harry swore loudly and quickly turned around, sprinting down the hall.

"Harry where are you going?"

He turned his head back as he continued to run, calling out to Hermione.

"I forgot my books in the common room!"

"What?"

"I'll explain later, gotta hurry!"

Harry sprinted up the stairs, taking two at a time. His pace was quick and he was pleased to realize he would have three minutes to return to class once he reached the common room. Hopefully that would be enough time.

Unfortunately for Harry, luck didn't seem to be on his side. As he rounded the corner to jump onto one of the revolving staircases he ran straight into Draco Malfoy.

"In a hurry, Potter?" He spat.

Harry rolled his eyes. Not wanting to deal with the Slytherin brat, he swerved passed him without even stopping. He wished he hadn't. Long ago he should have learned never to turn your back on a Slytherin.

He fell flat on his face, breaking his nose as Malfoy hit him with an immobilizing charm. Not only did his head swim as his nose pulsed, his mind was abruptly clenched by the Shadow. The world around him started turning gray as the previously transparent swirls encased itself around his entire vision. _What's happening to me?_ He struggled out of his confinement as Malfoy drawled some sort of nonsense.

"Nobody walks away from me!" He stepped in front of Harry's face to smirk at his broken nose, and his obvious struggle to break his invisible bonds.

"What's wrong, can't remember how to break a simple binding charm? How pathetic. It amazing how even with your lack of magical abilities people still thought you were the Heir of Slytherin."

Harry was completely horrified. As he had verbalized the spell to break his bonds he realized that he couldn't. He knew it wasn't because of Malfoy's spell, it was because of the shadow that was encasing his vision. Not only had the shadow adhered itself in front of his mind, it had affixed itself around his _magic._ He could feel how his magic swelled inside him as he intended to perform a spell, then he would feel it stop abruptly, barricaded from escape by the Shadow.

He started hyperventilating. Not only was he suddenly overwhelmed by the revelation that he no longer could control his magic, but he was shaken by the fact that he was completely helpless and trapped. He was insignificant, and he knew it. He realized that his demise might not be at the hands of Voldemort, it could happen flying, walking, tripping, sitting at the lake watching the sun go down, and it could also happen by laying on the ground, helpless while Malfoy did as he pleased.

_Shit, shit, shit!_

Harry was distracted from these dark revelations as he saw Malfoy's polished shoe connect with his jaw in a swift kick, his head immediately exploding in pain at the abusive contact.

It didn't matter that he had defeated Voldemort twice in the first two years as a Hogwarts student if he couldn't even stop a juvenile Slytherin from beating him to death. Not only was he filled with these overwhelming manifestations, he was aware of a secondary feeling, an emotion he knew didn't belong to him. It was an emotion from the Shadow. It was _anger,_ a rage so intense that it hurt. This anger stemmed from being trapped in a mind it didn't know, being formless, and shapeless, knowing that no matter how much power it had, it was all _completely worthless._ Harry's mind cleared slightly from the trauma to his head as he realized that the Shadow felt exactly like he did.

Amidst Malfoy's burst of laughter and the stars he saw in his eyes, Harry realized that he was free from the immobilizing charm. Even though he hadn't broken it himself, the charm itself was fairly weak and had finally just worn out.

As he picked himself up off the floor Harry realized that his own rage was escalating to that of the Shadow. Pretty soon the anger that emanated from the shapeless being would no longer be secondary, but his as well. His hands trembled as he freed his wand from inside his robes. Reaching for his magic he swelled with rage as it was still inaccessible to him, and how Malfoy continued laughing, not worried in the slightest that Harry had a wand in hand.

"Haven't had enough yet, Potter? I could play with you all night." Malfoy leered at the sight of his enemies broken face and stilled movements. He had proven who the superior was, and he would never let Harry Potter, The Boy-who-Lived, forget it.

Rage coursed throughout his body and mind. He had to do something, had to make Malfoy regret what he did, make him pay for making him feel so _weak._

His hand moved of its own volition, wand pointed straight at Malfoy's heart. Harry willed his magic to work, focusing on the hate that overwhelmed his mind and body, the enemy who caused that hate, enticing his magic to do something about it.

_Tacenda Vis_

The magic in his chest swelled freely as those words echoed through his mind.

_Tacenda Vis_

The voice was smooth and seductive as it whispered those words consolingly once again. His magic continued to swell, asking permission from Harry to be released.

"_Tacenda Vis!"_

Harry was aware of the look of horror on Malfoy's face as the spell flew at him, a spell that had left his lips in Parseltongue. Harry continued to head towards the common room, stepping over the unconscious body of Malfoy, no longer seeing him as a threat, but as someone who had foolishly gotten in his way.

When he made it to the portrait he had to focus on his speech as the password for entrance had also left his mouth in the hisses of Parseltongue. When he finally managed to control his speech and enter through the portrait he ran up to his bed, drawing the curtains around the posts before lying down.

He smiled as he felt the power of his magic course through his veins. When he uttered that spell his body was completely overtaken with raw power, a feeling that left him breathless and wanting for more. He was consumed by the feeling of ecstasy. Not only elated by the power that freed him of his enemy, he was filled with relief when the Shadow dissipated from his vision as he spoke those words, and felt the magic surge through his arm. The monochromatic world that had surrounded him disappeared along with any awareness of the Shadow that had stalked the corners of his vision all day.

He lay there soaking in the feeling of bliss that had overtaken him. It never occurred to him to repair the damage to his body until 45 minutes later, when the high of his surge of power started to calm down into something less consuming. Gripping his wand tighter he made his way to the bathroom to survey the damage.

His nose was broken. It bent in a way that eerily reminded him of Professor Snape. It was also swelling and turning various colors of blue and purple. Dark bruises had formed under his eye and a massive bruise was accentuated with a gash of open flesh extended along his jaw line where Malfoy had kicked him. He experimentally opened his jaw and winced at the pain it produced. It was amazing how he had uttered that spell at Malfoy without being aware of the damage that had been inflicted.

Raising his wand to his face he began working on repairing the damage. Despite hating every second he spent in the hospital wing he had to admit that he learned a lot. He knew nearly every spell by heart that Madame Pomfrey had used to heal him and other Quidditch players of their injuries. By the time he was done the only thing that seemed off was the darkness under his eyes, which he knew would fade in a few days. He also observed the amount of blood that drenched his shirt. If he were under the care of Madame Pomfrey he knew she would make him drink a Blood-Replenishing Potion, but he would have to do without. Rest and fluids would have to work instead.

As he spelled his robes clean of his blood he couldn't help but wonder if the Pink Lady noticed his appearance at all or if she just didn't care. He didn't bother asking her as he made his way out. Third period was almost over and he had to find a way to hide. He knew Hermione would come looking for him, having expected him to return to class only a few minutes after retrieving his books. Smiling, he headed to the Library to hide. Although Hermione was there a lot, there was no way she or Ron would look for him there.

xXxXxXx

Hermione had watched the entire fight between Malfoy and Harry while under the Disillusionment Charm. When she had used her Time-Turner after Ancient Runes she had purposely traveled in this direction in the hopes of seeing Harry. She was completely surprised by what she saw. She figured there was a good reason why Harry had missed class but she wasn't expecting it to be because of a violent fight with Malfoy.

What shocked her most was how Harry acted throughout the fight. He seemed in pain, and at one moment when he was on the floor, before Malfoy kicked him, he had a look of despair that consumed him entirely. She noticed how he struggled to move, struggled to use his magic. She also knew that it wasn't because of fear towards Malfoy. There was fear, no doubt, but it was directed toward something entirely, something she didn't understand.

When Harry left after defeating Malfoy she moved toward the sprawled body of the Slytherin. She couldn't see any markings on his body, any trace that any violent spell was used on him. A violent spell _was_ used she was sure. Even though she didn't understand what spell Harry cast, or why he had used Parseltongue to speak it, she suspected that it was Dark Magic.

She left the hallway and considered her options. She could tell one of the Professors, the Headmaster most likely, but she felt it wasn't the best move to make. Dark Magic was forbidden she knew, but she was mostly worried by the fact that Harry even _knew_ Dark Magic. Harry could be expelled for this fight just for uttering the dark curse even though Malfoy had instigated the brutal violence in the first place. Not only was it the Dark Magic, it was the confirmation that Harry was hiding something. She knew something had happened last night on the train but Harry refused to speak a word about it. Whatever it was, she knew that Harry needed her help whether he asked for it or not. As long as she had her Time-Turner she would be able to find out whatever information she needed in order to help Harry.

First things first, she had to find out what spell Harry used.

A/N: So, what do you think? Should I keep at it or quit while I still can?


	3. Exposed Enemy

A/N: Thanks to all those who subscribed to the story. Special thanks to spang141 for reviewing, it made my day. This chapter is set on the same day as last chapter, just a continuation. Enjoy!

Exposed Enemy

_As a rule, what is out of sight disturbs men's minds more seriously than what they see. -Julius Caesar_

"Pst, Harry."

The Weasley twins never ceased to amaze him. Despite the fiery red hair they sported they still managed to blend into the crowd of students without being noticed. He had been hiding at the library, going through the book shelves unnoticed for almost an hour and he never noticed them entering.

"Hey, whats going on?" He whispered as he walked over to the concealed corner they had wedged themselves in. Inside he smiled, since his confrontation with Malfoy the Shadow hasn't made another occurrence. Maybe all that had been needed to get rid of the entity was a strong magical release.

"We've heard about.."

"..all the points you've lost...

"..for Gryffindor already." The twins chanted, easily speaking for one another.

"We were going to hex you.."

"but decided to give you a gift instead."

They reached inside their pockets, Fred pulled out his wand while George pulled out a worn out, empty parchment. Harry raised his brow at them in curiosity.

"We were going to give this to you later..."

"..but because of your bad luck..."

"..we decided it would come..."

"..in handy sooner rather than later."

The twins directed Harry to follow them as they moved silently through the library, finding better seclusion in a corner that was also shielded by a wall and a bookshelf, lessening the chance of wandering eyes intruding their privacy.

"Why did you two want to give this to me?" Harry was in awe as he looked through the Marauder's Map. It was amazing. This type of magic was complex he knew, but he had no idea how it ever ended up in his possession. "This is amazing."

"It has helped us become the successes you see today."

"Having knowledge of all the secret passageways and rooms is a great tool for any student."

"Especially when they have not so innocent intentions on their minds."

Harry continued to gawk at the masterpiece he held in his hands. He already saw 5 different ways he could have taken to get to Transfiguration on time. He scanned the map until he saw Draco Malfoy's name, and smirked to see that he was being moved by Professor Snape and Madame Pomfrey to the Hospital Wing.

"You guys...this is amazing...I can't even express..."

"Don't worry about it."

"Consider it a make-up gift for all the shotty ones Ron's given you over the Holidays."

The detail that was put into forging the enchanted map was amazing. Every single detail in the castle had been mapped out, many secret tunnels and passageways were shown with descriptive details of how to find them, and in some cases, what charms to use to reveal them. He knew there wasn't even an official map of Hogwarts, as it would compromise it's security. He realized that what he held in his hands was a tool that would be dangerous in the hands of certain people.

"We should be going Harry." Fred patted him on the shoulder as he left their walled enclosure.

"You should probably be going too." George nodded his head toward the door of the Library.

Harry peered around the corner of the bookshelf and saw Ron and Hermione scanning the crowds of studying students.

"How did you know...?"

George smiled at his confusion with a mischievous look, as he pointed at the map.

"I've seen you dodging the two, besides, why else would you willingly be in the library?"

"I haven't been mad at them or anything" Harry felt he had to explain himself. Hermione and the Weasley's have helped him in many ways since he attended Hogwarts, he didn't want George thinking he didn't appreciate them. "They are my friends, it's just that since the incident on the train..."

George waved his words away before leaning in close and whispering. "Don't worry about it Harry, there have been several times where I've just wanted to get away from my siblings. Mostly from Percy." He winked at Harry as he caught up with Fred and made their way out of the Library, heartily greeting Hermione and Ron as they exited out.

Retreating back to the corner he peered at the map, looking to see if there was a way to exit the Library besides using the front door. He waved his wand at the map and the names of students that cluttered the map disappeared, making it easier to find an exit point. Folding the map away he again peered around the corner making sure he was clear to leave his hiding spot without Ron or Hermione spotting him. The two Gryffindors were at the other side of the library, talking to Percy and Robertson, one of the fourth year Hufflepuffs.

He swiftly rounded the corner of the bookshelf and retreated to the very back of the library. He continued until he saw a small, discolored piece of stone on the wall. Pulling out his wand, he touched the tip of it against the stone and whispered, "Aperio". Tempered black glass appeared in the shape of a doorway. He stepped through and muttered "Occulo," to seal the entrance behind him. "Lumos," his wand glowed and he made his way down the passageway. He hadn't exactly looked at where the tunnel led, he just wanted to make it out of the library.

As he continued through he saw spots of light shining in, which he discovered was from the transparency through certain portraits throughout the halls. He looked through a few of them, not really seeing anything interesting. Some of them peered through empty rooms and others looked in at the hall where a few students were gathered. He thought the whole thing really odd. Did the founders of the school purposely put secret passages everywhere or did people add them overtime? If Hermione were here she would probably mention _Hogwarts, A History_, he would have to look through it sometime.

A few minutes later he started going up and down small sets of steps. He wasn't sure but he estimated to now be on the third floor. A minute or so after he finally saw a door that led out of the tunnel. He stuck his head out through the glass and peered around before stepping out. He looked behind him and instead of seeing glass he just saw the wall. It must just be a one-way door since the stone was solid, the only way to open it up was to cast 'Aperio' again.

As he walked he discovered that he was actually on the sixth floor. Considering the short amount of time and the small amount of steps he had to take that passageway was quite convenient. As he neared the middle Shadow made a sudden appearance, spreading across his vision with excited swirls. He stopped, trying to feel what was happening. Taking a step forward Shadow jumped again, this time, Harry could feel a muted eruption of giddiness in the back of chest.

He looked more closely at his surroundings, trying to spot something out of place. To his right was a big empty space of stone wall, and on his left was a few torches and portraits. Something here excited Shadow. He felt the hum of excitement swell once again as he glanced around. Looking at the empty wall on his right he felt Shadow shift again, vibrating with elation as he moved closer to the wall.

Closing his eyes, he focused his attention to the wall, waving his hands slowly in front of it, trying to find something. Shadow continued to hum within him during his search. _Something is here!_ The powerful magical energy it emanated made him wonder how he hadn't discovered this before. He felt that it was a door of some kind. Pulling out his Marauder's Map he scanned over the sixth floor drawings, looking to see if something was mentioned about this anomaly. As he pointed his wand at his location he saw small script begin to appear.

_The Room of Requirement is a room that only reveals itself to someone in great need. To open the door, you must pace in front of it three times while thinking of what you need. A door will appear, the Room having transformed itself to accommodate your needs. Persons in the Room of Requirement do not show up on the Map._

Harry gaped at the wall as he considered the possibilities he could use for this room. Deciding to test it out, he glanced at the Map once again to see if any students or teachers were nearby. Satisfied that he was alone, he folded the Map, shoved it in his pocket and began to pace in front of the entryway, thinking, _I need a place to hide and work._ As promised, a cherry wood door appeared. Shadow shifted in front of his vision again as he grasped the door knob and entered the Room of Requirement.

He walked into a small, secluded but comfortable room. In front of him was a honey brown stuffed armchair in front of an unlit fireplace. To the left of the chair was a work desk topped with quills, ink, and parchment. Walking towards the armchair he could again feel Shadow shift. Although the Marauder's Map didn't post any warnings about the Room of Requirement he was still uneasy that Shadow, the being that was currently loose inside his head and obviously had a fascination with Dark Magic, had a strong attraction to the secret room.

Placing his bag onto the chair he noticed his Potion's textbook. He hadn't really thought of the time once he left the Library. He looked up as he saw a clock appear over the fireplace. Harry swore loudly as he saw the time. Class just barely started, and here he was on the sixth floor in a secret room staring dumbly at a clock. After ruling out that he couldn't skip another class he opened up the Map again searching for a quick way to get to Potions class. He growled inside as he realized he would have to deal with an incited potions professors upon his arrival, feeling the loss of house points and the anger it would incite in his fellow Gryffindors at the thought.

Before he had a chance to search the Map long a door appeared on the far-side of the wall. Gathering his things he went through the door and descended quickly down the tunnel. Harry couldn't believe his change in luck. Not only did he have a new map and discovered a secret room, he also had swift access to almost anyplace in the castle.

As he continued to descend to the dungeons he saw that this was much like the tunnel he used to escape from the library. Every minute or so he could see out into the school through portraits. Though there wasn't much to see, he would peer out to keep track of where he was. When he guessed he was nearing the dungeons he pulled out the Marauder's Map, said "Mischief Managed", and placed the now empty parchment at the very bottom of his bag.

"You asked for my presence, Severus?"

Harry froze. That sounded like the Headmaster, and he was talking to Snape. He looked around the tunnel to see if anyone else was using it. Empty. He walked forward and peered through one of the transparent portraits. The room he saw was filled with vials and numerous potions and ingredients. There was another portrait, of an short elderly man with grayed hair and eyes, brewing a potion, hanging over the door. Inside was Professor Dumbledore, and Snape sitting behind a wooden desk. _This must be Snape's private office._

"Yes, Albus. It seems in your absence that one of my Slytherins was attacked."

The Headmaster sat down in front of the desk, conjuring a cup of tea while Snape cast a silencing charm. Since Harry could still hear what they were saying, he assumed the silencing charm was only cast on the front door.

"Would you like some tea also, Severus?"

"I am already late for class as it is and I would like to get to the point." His voice was sharp and stern. Obviously irritated for some reason.

"I usually wouldn't waste your time on trivial teenage fights, but Draco Malfoy was attacked with a Dark Curse, one that has left both Pomfrey and I unable to revive him."

The Headmaster peered at his Potion's Professor over the rim of his glasses. Harry rarely saw Dumbledore's eye lacking that twinkle.

"As you know Severus, many wards are put in place around Hogwarts to detect the use of Dark Magic." He vanished his cup of tea away. "Are you certain Mr. Malfoy's condition was caused by a Dark Curse?"

Snape's featured darkened with annoyance. "Positive, I only bring this to your attention because your lack of this information indicates that the wards didn't alert you of the attack."

_What?_ Harry didn't understand how he managed to not alert the wards. Maybe it was because he didn't know he was using Dark Magic at the time? What other wards surrounded Hogwarts that he didn't know about? He decided he definitely needed to read _Hogwarts, A History_.

"Well, Severus," The Headmaster conjured more tea and placed a lemon drop in his mouth, the twinkle slowly returning to his eyes. "You know as well as I that there are several ways to fool the wards."

_I spoke in Parseltongue when I cast that curse on Malfoy._ If that is the reason why the wards didn't set off when he cursed Malfoy then..._Then_ _that means I could cast anything in Parseltongue and nobody would know about it._ Shadow swelled with glee as he came to that conclusion. He realized for the first time how dangerous things started becoming_. Tom Riddle spoke Parseltongue, is that how he got away with his years of studying and practicing the Dark Arts?_ Did Dumbledore know that? It would be surprising if the omnipotent Headmaster didn't. _Would he suspect me?_ _No, he couldn't. He said there were several ways to fool the wards. Why would he automatically assume it was Harry, the Gryffindor Golden Boy?_

"I strongly suspect that it was Black," Snape's voice filled with smooth malice as he spoke, "that he has somehow managed to get past the protective barriers of the castle and the Dementors. Although he is a thick-headed moron I'm sure he is quite capable of doing so if he summoned the mental capacity to contrive a way to escape Azkaban."

"Your hypothesis is possible Severus, though there were no witnesses to firmly establish the claim."

"Then you will do nothing?"

"Of course I will Severus," He answered with a soft hint of a stern reproach to his Potion's Professor, "as Headmaster I have nothing but the safety of the students at the forefront of my mind."

The Headmaster pondered for a bit, sipping his tea and running his fingers through his beard before continuing.

"It will be best if the students were escorted by teachers to and from their classes and dormitories, however we simply don't have the capabilities to do that. Instead tell all of your students to travel in groups of at least three throughout the day, prefects will escort them in groups to their Dormitories after dinner each night. Anyone caught alone will be handled by their Heads of House."

Dumbledore vanished his empty cup of tea before blithely standing from his chair and heading for the door.

"Inform your students as well as your Head Boy and Head Girl, I will inform the other teachers about the added security measures. We will discuss this more another time when he both have less pressing matters to attend too."

"Will you assist Pomfrey and I in our search on how to counter the curse?"

Dumbledore looked back at him with an amused twinkle in his eyes.

"Of course, my boy, you needn't have asked."

Snape scowled as his mentor left the office. When the Professor started packing his things for class Harry bolted down the passageway. If his luck continued he would be able to get there before Snape did and avoid hostility from both the Slytherins and his fellow Gryffindors. He ran out the exit of the tunnel after running a few extra meters, nearly knocking over Hermione as he quickly rounded the corner and found himself, and other students, waiting outside the classroom door.

"Harry! Why are you running late again? Where were you?" Hermione was good at yelling at somebody without having to actually raise her voice.

Harry avoided eye contact with her when he spoke, pretending to look distracted. He just didn't want Shadow to start appearing frequently like it had earlier in the day.

"What does it matter? Snape isn't even here so it's not like he'd find out I was late."

"Harry, tell me what is going on!" Her face was tense and her eyes were tight. "I know you're hiding something and I don't know why! Why can't you trust me, I'm your friend!"

"You have no reason to think I'm hiding something. Madame Pomfrey told me I was fine after the Dementor attack on the train and Professor Lupin agreed."

"Well I don't agree with them at all! This is only the first day of class and your already..."

"I told you I didn't want to talk about it, didn't I?"

"But why? I just want to help you."

Harry put his face in his hands and sighed. He knew Hermione would be more difficult to deal with. One of the things he liked about her was that not only was she brilliant, she used those smarts to satisfy her curiosity without being afraid to break a few 'necessary' rules. Because of that curiosity she proved to be a capable friend in these last two years. That thirst for knowledge was usually something he liked in his friend but now it was becoming a pain in the ass.

"Please, Hermione. Just drop this."

Hermione's eyes teared up, not out of hurt but worry. She re-adjusted the books in her arms and stood quietly next to him. Because she didn't agree to leave this thing alone Harry knew that she wouldn't stop pestering him until she got some answers. He had to make up something convincing to tell her, not the vague answer he had given to Professor Lupin. He would need some time to fabricate something to ease her worries.

"Where's Ron?" He just noticed the sardonic red-head was missing when he didn't see him at his usual place by Hermione's side.

"He's in Care of Magical creatures." Her voice was soft and slightly cracked, still upset by their earlier conversation.

"What about Potions? Isn't this the only period for third years?"

Just then the door swung open and students started filing in, looking at Snape with curious eyes at his late appearance.

"No, there is a mixed house potions class tomorrow for those third years who have an extra elective in their schedule."

They entered the classroom and sat at a workbench together while waiting for Snape to tell them what their lesson was. As usual though, he had to have a good stare-down of his students at the beginning of the year to ensure there was sufficient fear. Shadow shifted uncomfortably in his mind as Snape gazed at him. Harry averted his eyes, hoping Snape didn't see his vision cloud as Shadow swiftly solidified itself in front of his gaze.

"I will tell you this once and only once. If I don't tell you something then you should know that it is none of your business and to not try and pester me with more answers." Snape spoke in a harsh whisper, pausing as he ensured to have the students' full attention. The entire class was deathly quiet. "One of the students has been attacked and is currently in the Hospital Wing. Due to his state we have concluded that he was attacked with Dark Magic." He paused again, searching for quiet murmurings before continuing.

Harry's breath constricted as Shadow swelled inside him. The memory of casting that Dark spell on Malfoy incensed it to a blissful happiness that overwhelmed Harry, causing his hands to shake as he remembered the power of the spell traveling down his arms.

"Since Black is on the loose we have no other choice but to suspect that he has somehow managed to gain entrance into the castle and has attacked this student."

The students shifted around uncomfortably at this revelation but didn't make a sound from the steely glare on their Professor's face.

"The Headmaster has added extra security cautions to prevent harm from becoming any other students. Those who do not comply with these precautions will be harshly dealt with by their Head of House if Black doesn't manage to kill you beforehand. All students must travel in groups of at least three as they make their way to and from their classes and meals. After dinner all students must remain in the Great Hall until a prefect can escort you to your dormitories. Further restrictions will be announced to ensure the safety of the students during the weekend break. Are those instructions perfectly clear?"

Everybody paused as they let the new security restrictions sink in. It was perfectly clear. This school year was going to suck. Harry continued to shake, his hands uncontrollable, the world around him turning once again black and white as Shadow completely enveloped his mind again. He felt small sparks emit out the tip of his wand. _When did I grab my wand?_

"Professor, If I may ask, was the student who was attacked Draco Malfoy?"

If the student who spoke up wasn't a Slytherin the Professor wouldn't have even answered. Snape nodded stiffly at the student before changing subjects.

"Now, the potion I have assigned for you today should be completed by the time class is over. You will not blame your incompetence at Potion's because of my late arrival."

Snape moved to the chalkboard to write out the instructions when he stopped and abruptly moved over to the Gryffindor side of the classroom.

"What, Mr. Potter, may I ask is so amusing to you?"

Harry realized with horror that he had been _smirking _when the Professor confirmed that it was Draco Malfoy who was indisposed in the Hospital Wing. The shaking in his hands had turned to pulses of power as Shadow continued to vibrate with glee as Harry remembered how powerful he felt to put one of his enemies in their place. Harry couldn't hide the overwhelming exhilaration as Snape towered right over him.

"Are you pleased to hear that your nemesis has been reduced to nothing but a vegetable." Snapes voice was seething with animosity as he spoke. "Or perhaps you were glad that you no longer had to deal with somebody who is so obviously more skilled in the magical arts than you? Thought you might send Black a bouquet of roses for saving you the trouble of being humiliated as you try to prove your worth? We all know your dark secret Potter. You may have been lucky enough to have lived through an attack by the Dark Lord but you have plainly shown to the world through your inept attempts at wand waving that you are in no way the cause of his downfall."

The Slytherins roared with laughter, the pulsing power coursing through Harry started changing into rage as he started feeling small again, feeling like he did as he lay helpless on the floor while Malfoy kicked him. More laughs erupted as Snape said something else, but he didn't hear it. Shadow was vibrating so violently that he could hardly see the environment around him. What right did that bastard have to ridicule him like this? Just because he was a teacher doesn't mean that he was better, doesn't mean that he was more powerful. Harry started shaking as the rage completely consumed him. A small part of his mind was aware that his wand started moving up. It didn't matter how much power or authority somebody had, everyone was human when you came down to it. Everybody was _weak_, and _powerless_, especially when it came to death. Everybody had to die someday and nobody could do a thing to stop it, not even Nicolas Flamel, his legacy of immortality had eventually come to an end. That is where people's sense of weakness came from, the knowledge that no matter how much power they attain during life they still met the same end as everybody else. So why was Snape allowed to do this to him? Since he started attending Hogwarts all he's done was treat him like shit, making others think that he was weaker than they were, that he was helpless, incapable. The fact that he could also say nothing to defend himself just because Snape was a teacher filled him with more rage as Shadow sympathized with his thoughts. This had to stop, it had too. Snape had to learn his place, and that place wasn't towering over Harry.

Before he was even aware enough of his actions to stop himself, his wand flew up and a white explosion protruded out of the tip of his wand. He saw Snape and several other students swiftly evade the attack, the blazing white clap of fire traveling over their heads and imbedding a huge crater in the stone wall at the far-back of the classroom.

Amidst the dust swirling around, and the flying chunks of debris, Harry bolted. He was completely fucked. He continued running, going wherever his feet decided to take him. He couldn't think, he couldn't fathom what he just did, what will happen to him when Snape reports it. While he drowned in a wave of guilt and sorrow Shadow dissipated from his vision, sated by the burst of power that it let loose, feeling powerful while he felt helpless.

Harry collapsed outside by the lake, shuddering by the tree. Shadow used him. There was no denying it. Snape's boorish comments never affected him like that before, he never felt that intoxicating sense of rage before Shadow was let loose in his mind. He drenched his face in some of the lake water, trying to control himself. He was a mess. After the day's events he felt like he wanted to sleep in a steel coffin at the bottom of the lake for the next hundred years.

As his thoughts settled and his tumult of emotions calmed, he tried to think through what just happened. When had Shadow first made his appearance when Potions started? It was when Snape looked at him at the beginning of class. Harry always disliked it when Snape looked at him, he felt like he was being probed and he didn't have anything to hide behind. A feeling of powerlessness and anger also accompanied the dislike, a reaction that wasn't usually normal for him. Then Shadow grew stronger while Snape talked about the attack. In his minds eye he had seen the fight again, the way he was helpless and unable to defend himself, and how he rectified that feeling of depressing weakness by putting Malfoy out of his misery. That feeling of intense power he felt after returned as that memory replayed in his head, inciting the Shadow while Snape spoke. Shadow wanted to have that feeling again, so he made Harry attack the teacher just like he had attacked Malfoy.

_No, Shadow offered you a way to dispose of Malfoy, YOU chose to use Dark Magic._

Harry shuddered as that foreign thought pushed itself to the front of his mind. It was true, he had wanted to use it, _wanted to make Malfoy sorry for making me powerless_. He wasn't happy as he spoke the truth to himself. But what about what happened in Potions? Shadow had completely consumed him, wrapping around his mind, taking out his wand. Harry knew without a doubt that _he_, in no way, wanted to go through with attacking Snape.

_Yes you did, you wanted to make him sorry for making you small and weak._

Harry growled in frustration as that thought took place in the front of his mind. It didn't make sense. Why would he have that overwhelming sense of powerlessness in the first place? He had never reacted to a situation in that way before, even with his past fights with Malfoy, he was never concerned about being appearing weak or powerless.

_Shadow showed you how weak you were, showed you what power you could wield. You liked that power, you wanted to feel it again._

He pinched himself hard in the leg as he willed that thought to leave him be. Even though Harry felt that overwhelming sense of power, the joy from it, he also felt terrified at what he did. He had cast a Dark Curse without giving it a second thought. The fear he felt proved that what Shadow was telling him wasn't true! It wasn't true and he knew it! He thought back to that little rant he had inside his head before attacking Snape. When had he ever thought of Snape's ridicule, or the Slytherins laughs as proof that he was weak? As proof that others saw him as weak? Never before had he seen things in that light, why would he start now? When had he ever felt that determination to prove to people that he was more powerful?

A firm, soft voice echoed in the back of his mind. If he wasn't in a quiet area he wouldn't have even been able to hear it. _It was all Shadow._

"Now, who's ready ter ride Buckbeak?"

Hagrid's voice boomed over the field. Harry got up and mingled with the other students in the Care of Magical Creatures class. He stood by Ron once he spotted him. The students had all greeted the hippogriff with nervous anxiety, and were now wary at the prospect of actually mounting the beast.

"Hey mate, when did you get here?" He smiled at Harry and patted him on the back.

"Did you finally decide to come to your senses and drop that runes class?" Ron lit up at the prospect, feeling very proud of himself at the thought of influencing his friend.

"Harry! What are you doing out here?"

Hermione had suddenly shown up besides Ron.

"What are you doing here 'Mione? I thought you were in potion's class."

He hadn't seen Hermione follow him at all when he ran out after the explosion. Even if she did manage to find him why would she be skipping a class?

"Potion's class?" Ron looked at her in confusion. "Why are you scheduled to take Potions at the same time as Care of Magical Creatures?"

Hermione ignored him as she turned once again on Harry.

"McGonagall is looking for you! She's furious. You need to go before you get into anymore trouble."

"What? Why is McGonagall looking for you? What happened?" Ron was very intrigued at the change in conversation, completely forgetting about his previous endeavors.

Harry ignored his questions, and Hermione's comments. He just didn't care at this point. He was already in deep trouble, staying outside for a while longer wouldn't hurt anything.

"Hagrid, I will ride Buckbeak." He moved in front of the other students and stepped in front of the Half-Giant.

"Harry! Good ter see yeh! Now c'mon and greet Buckbeak."

He was glad to have something else to focus his mind on. It didn't help that Ron and Hermione were asking him questions that he himself didn't know the answers to. He fluttered with joy as he touched Buckbeak, this animal was like him in a way, finding solace in the sky. As the Hippogriff soared into the sky his mind finally completely cleared of Shadow's presence. Though he could no longer feel the entity shift within him he knew that it was still there. Shadow was his greatest enemy. Not only did the being share it's emotions with him, it's thoughts had become indiscernible from his own. He would have to watch himself carefully as he searched for a way to get rid of Shadow, he knew that he couldn't trust himself completely. Shadow was let loose in his mind yesterday and it already had too much control over him. This had to end before Shadow got out of hand.

Harry lost himself in the warm breeze as Buckbeak soared over the forest. He could put off planning for now, he needed this rest to face the consequences of his actions when he returned to the castle.

xXxXxXx

The heat of the explosion protruding from Harry's wand had left her hot and sweaty. She was shocked at what her friend had done. Attacking a teacher was a serious violation of rules, and she knew that Harry could face expulsion.

Once the dust and debris had settled Professor Snape walked around looking to see if any students were hurt. He was enraged to see that Harry had fled.

"Did you see where Potter ran off too?" Snape sneered vehemently at Hermione. He was covered from head to toe in dust, giving him a very grayed appearance, wrinkles forming from the dust on his face as he scowled.

"No, Professor. I didn't see anything after the explosion."

Surprisingly, he believed her without anymore questions. He waved his wand around the room and cleansed all the dirt and debris off of every surface and person with a strong Cleansing Charm. The only thing that looked amidst was the gaping hole in the wall at the far back of the classroom. Before storming out to retreat to his office he spelled the potions instructions on the board.

"You may leave once you finish."

Hermione was relieved that the assignment was for a simple Calming Draught. She could easily make up a batch in the time remaining, having enough to bottle a sample for the assignment and one for herself. If this is how the beginning of the school year had started she knew that it was only going to get more difficult.

Confident that she brewed the Draught correctly, she filled two vials, cleaned up her area, and vanished the remaining potion in the cauldron. As she went to place her marked vial on Professor Snape's desk she noticed that several other students who managed to brew the potion properly also bottled an extra vial for themselves. She frowned as she looked at Neville. His potion was an awful purple color. She wished she had bottled one for him since he looked like he needed it more than anybody.

Downing the vial as she made her way out of the classroom her thoughts cleared and her body stopped trembling. She had to talk to Professor Dumbledore. It had been her first instinct when she saw Malfoy and Harry fight, but she ignored it. Something was seriously wrong with Harry and she wasn't capable of helping him since he refused to confide in her. Though there were many things she would tell the Headmaster she would not mention the fact that it was Harry who cast that dark curse on Malfoy. She was trying to help her friend, not ensure his expulsion.

Rushing along the corridors, expertly weaving through the crowds of students as class was let out she headed to the Headmaster's tower on the second floor. Though she didn't know how to gain entry she remembered Harry telling her that the password usually involved some sort of sweet. If she remembered correctly she had seen the Headmaster help himself to several servings of carrot cake during lunch.

"Ms. Granger, can I have a word with you please?" McGonagall intercepted her on the main floor.

"Have you seen Mr. Potter, I have been unable to find him."

"No, Professor, he ran out and nobody saw where he went."

Her Head of House was unusually flustered and red in the face. She was sure that Professor Snape had immediately went to her to vent his frustrations.

"Well if you see him tell him to locate me immediately. And, why aren't you in a group Ms. Granger? I am sure Professor Snape informed his students of the new security measures."

Great, now McGonagall's pent up frustrations were turned to her. She tried to blush shyly while looking at the floor, attempting to look meek.

"Sorry, Professor, I forgot all about the new security measures after what happened in Potions."

"Well ensure you don't forget again. Security measures are put in place for your protection." McGonagall finished her sentence with a stern gaze before walking off.

Running up the stairs she joined a group of students walking together toward their dormitories. Once on the second floor she bolted from the group and ran to the Headmaster's Tower. Before seeing the stone gargoyle she saw Professor Dumbledore mildly humming while slowly strolling to his office.

"Professor Dumbledore!" She ran to catch up with him.

He turned and smiled as she approached him.

"Good to see you Ms. Granger, I trust you aren't having any problems with your schedule?"

"No, sir, It's not about that. I've come to talk to you about Harry. I saw what he did and I know that he didn't do it on purpose. I swear it was accidental magic, he would never attack a teacher!"

He frowned slightly at what she said.

"I assure you, I don't know exactly what your talking about Ms. Granger."

Hermione huffed loudly in frustration. _Why didn't the Headmaster know?_ She had assumed that Snape would immediately tell him hoping to ensure Harry's expulsion. Before her head exploded the Headmaster invited her into his office to explain more thoroughly what she was talking about.

"Harry accidentally attacked Professor Snape in Potion's class. It left this huge crater in the wall but nobody was hurt." Dumbledore had settled her into a comfy chair with a cup of hot tea before letting her speak. She was glad for the tea, it was almost as calming as the draught.

"Are you sure it was accidental Ms. Granger?" He had a slightly worried look on his face, but most of the time he smiled at her as he asked her to continue.

"Positive, it looked like he hadn't even realized that he had his wand out in the first place." She placed her cup down. She had to tell him her other concerns.

"Sir, although I am sure it was accidental I think that it might have been influenced by how he reacted when the Dementor's boarded the train. Since then his behavior has changed significantly, his actions in class today proves it."

"Yes, I did hear about his reaction to the Dementors, not common at all." The Headmaster ran his hand through his beard, thinking. "Did Harry confide in you at all as to why he reacted so?"

"No, like I said, his behavior has changed completely. He has been avoiding Ron and I, refusing to tell us what happened. He gets extremely hostile when I try to bring up the subject."

Dumbledore continued pondering what she said. Realizing she wasn't going to get a reply soon, Hermione continued.

"Please, sir, you have to help Harry. I don't know what's wrong with him, or exactly what happened on the train, but he needs help. He can't continue this school year with this outrageous behavior."

"Yes, you are right. I will talk to Harry and try to determine the extent of the problem."

He rose from his chair and beckoned Hermione to do the same, leading her to the door.

"I am sure I will also be hearing from this from Professor McGonagall soon and I will try to explain the situation. Keep trying to help Harry the best you can."

Before leaving she turned back around to the Headmaster, asking the question that has been at the forefront of her mind.

"Are you going to expel Harry?"

Dumbledore lit up and chuckled slightly.

"No, Ms. Granger. I don't think expulsion is the right way to handle this situation. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Now, don't you have a class with Hagrid you need to get too?" He winked at her as she left.

Twisting her Time-Turner back she swelled with relief. Harry needed help desperately. Even though she didn't confide to Dumbledore about the dark magic Harry used she sensed that he understood the severity of the situation.

xXxXxXx

_The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it emotionally. -Flannery O'Connor_

"Come on in Harry."

Harry opened the door to the Headmaster's office. His stomach fluttered with anxiety. After class with Hagrid ended Professor McGonagall cornered him on the way back to the castle, looking as red as a firework ready to explode. While she dragged him to the Headmaster's Tower she threatened months of detention and suspended Hogsmeade privileges for the rest of the year, that is, if he wasn't expelled. Considering the severity of the situation those terms weren't that bad. As he sat down in the chair offered by the Headmaster he felt the limitations of his age sink in. This really sucked.

As he sat down an elf brought two cups of pumpkin juice, giving one to the Headmaster and one to Harry. He accepted the offered beverage but didn't drink any of it. His stomach was churning in a way that indicated projectile vomiting if he attempted to consume anything.

"Why don't you tell me what happened in class today, Harry." Dumbledore's face was calm though he wasn't smiling. Harry hated how he could never tell if he was angry or not. At least this was about what happened in Potions and not what happened to Malfoy.

"I attacked Professor Snape." His voice sounded small and nervous. He hated that. Why would Dumbledore ask him that anyway when he knew what happened?

"Harry, my boy, please relax. I am not going to expel you." He motioned for Harry to take a sip of his drink.

Despite the protests from his stomach he assented and took a gulp. He felt calmer as the beverage slid down his throat, his stomach settling slightly. _Was there a potion added into this?_

"It is nothing but a simple Calming Draught, Harry. People need them from time to time don't you think?" Professor Dumbledore smiled lightly as he too sipped his drink.

"I am aware that you attacked a teacher, Harry, what I want to know is why you did it."

Harry thought this out carefully before answering. If he lied and just said he was mad at Snape then he could be suspended. If he told the truth and told him how he didn't intend to attack at all then Dumbledore would start asking questions he didn't want to answer. Dumbledore didn't need to know about Shadow.

"Well...I don't really...I hadn't planned on attacking him or anything." He fumbled a bit with his drink while he thought of what else to say. "I mean, Professor Snape always criticizes me for stuff but it never bothered me before. I would just let him rant then blow it off." He took another swig of his drink. "I don't even remember getting my wand out before attacking him." It's time like these that he hated being 13. It really showed through in his words and body language when he was in trouble. He took another drink, cup now nearly empty.

"Why did you run off?"

Harry looked at the Headmaster at that question. His face was still calm and soothing. It eyes seemed to convey...worry? Never being able to interpret the Professor's facial expressions he decided to quit trying. At least Dumbledore didn't seem to be accusing him of anything.

"Because..." He had to think carefully about his next words. He didn't need the Headmaster thinking there was more to it. "Because I was shocked at what happened. One moment Snape is ridiculing me and the next I'm putting a huge crater in the wall. I did something that I hadn't intended to do." He drained the rest of his cup. "I was scared that something like that could happen without any chance of controlling it." He remembered seeing and feeling the fiery hotness that burst from his wand, streaking over the heads of his peers in a blaze. "Somebody could have gotten seriously injured." His stomach started churning again. He wanted this to be over so he could leave.

"Do you think this sudden reaction to Professor Snape's torments were somehow influenced by how the Dementors affected you?"

"What? Why would you think that?"

Oh no. _Did I let something slip without knowing it?_

"Ms. Granger expressed some concerns to me."

"Hermione was here? When?"

"She came straight to my office after Potions Class."

_How could she have been talking to the Headmaster when she was in Hagrids class? _He huffed in annoyance. Not only was Hermione bothering him about the Dementors, she talked the Headmaster into bugging him also.

"What happened on the train Harry?"

He fidgeted under Dumbledore's gaze. His first instinct was to lie, but he knew the Headmaster would see through it instantly. _Now what am I supposed to do?_

"It felt like there was _something_ on me. I didn't know what it was. I mean, my Uncle had mentioned them before but he didn't know what they looked like or what they did. It felt like they were...gloved over my mind."

"Ms. Granger mentioned that it seemed you were intense pain. Do you remember that?"

"Well, of course I remember that."

Dumbledore smiled at him in amusement.

"Do you know what caused it?"

"Well, I assume it was the Dementors. While they were...roaming through my mind they..." He trailed off. He didn't know what to tell Dumbledore. If he told the truth he would be insane, if he lied the Headmaster would see through it.

"Go on Harry, you're doing fine."

"It felt like they were attacking my scar." He saw his Professor's darken as his smile disappeared. It lasted only for an instant before he was beckoned to continue.

"That's why I was in so much pain. It felt like my scar was being ripped open."

The Headmaster looked deep in thought. His eyes were trained on his desk, brow furrowed. It was several long minutes of this silence until Harry decided to speak up again.

"Sir, why did the Dementors do that?"

Dumbledore peered at him over the rim of his glasses, the twinkle back in his eyes, the calm once again washed over his face.

"You see, Harry, what you felt was what the Dementors do to everybody. It is how they work, how they are able to feed off of dark memories. Most people, however, do not feel them at work."

"Why was I able to feel it?"

"It seems you have a special sense when it comes to magic. If you focused on the environment around you detecting magical substances, charms, wards, entryways would become almost second nature to you."

"So...this is something that could happen to me with other things as well? Not just Dementors?"

"It is possible, but rest assured there are several ways to learn to control it. I will inform Madam Pince that you will be arriving. She will be able to give you a book that will help you grow and control this ability. It is a rare gift that many people wish to have."

Dumbledore continued his happy contemplation while Harry mulled over what he heard. It made sense why others on the train didn't react like he did. It didn't explain Shadow though. The only way he could get help from Dumbledore concerning Shadow is if he told him about Shadow's presence. There was no way he was doing that though.

"You may leave now, Harry. I will talk to Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape about what we discussed. This is obviously just a case of accidental magic. I will inform them that no punishments are to be given."

Harry walked up to his desk and placed his empty cup down.

"Harry, I advise you to study that book. It will also help you keep your magic under control so this doesn't happen again."

Harry nodded before turning to retrieve his bag. He was just relieved that he didn't have to hide Shadow. As he turned the knob of the office door Dumbledore addressed him again.

"Harry, is there anything else you would like to tell me?"

A flood of Déjà vu washed over him as that sentence reached his ears. The Headmaster had asked him the same question last year when students were being petrified and it was revealed that he was a Parseltongue. He could lie like he did last year. But then again, what's the point of having a past if you don't learn from it. The reason he lied last year because he was scared of what was happening to the students, scared that others thought he was the Heir of Slytherin. This time, he had fears, but for completely different reasons. Dumbledore could NOT find out about Shadow.

"No sir, nothing."


	4. Resolutions

A/N: This story will not exactly follow canon. This isn't going to turn into a Dark!Harry fic, or a fic where Harry is super powerful. I'm just telling you in case you get those impressions from this chapter. In the summary, I wrote that Snape will be a mentor in this fic, although it isn't showing now, I promise you that Snape will be playing a big role in this story.

Resolutions

_All men should strive to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why. _

_ -James Thurber_

Dark clouds of smoke swirled throughout his mind. It was hypnotic in a way. It swirled and churned in a pattern he was now familiar with. If he was under different circumstances he would have found it comforting. For what seemed like an eternity he had seen nothing but this dark dance play in front of his eyes. Every once in a while it would part, each time it did so he would try to reach for the light that lead to his consciousness. Instead, his escape would be shielded as that memory surrounded him once again.

Draco Malfoy was not used to being haunted by the actions of his past. However, the exquisite detail of this memory made his stomach churn and his mind fill with emotions he wasn't accustomed too. He once again saw himself attack Potter. He had effortlessly and thoughtlessly immobilized his rival while his back was turned. The power that consumed him as he instigated the resulting fight was intoxicating.

The swirling darkness again covered his vision before revealing the next segment. He realized that this must be what guilt feels like. He knew he had felt it before, but not like this. This was guilt and shame mixed together. Though he didn't understand the hold the darkness had on him, he knew that it wasn't causing his uncharacteristic remorse. This was the first time that _his own actions_ had caused this kind of internal turmoil.

Potter's face was swollen from falling, anger, and _fear_ seeping through his green eyes. It was odd to see this boy he had hated the past three years show fear, in the past he had never done so in their previous confrontations. For some reason this revelation had bothered him the more it was replayed. Not only could he see fear, he could see weakness. Potter's eyes showed anger at this unexplained weakness, the inability to move and defend himself. Shame again swelled as he saw himself grin at this revealed weakness, and then kick Potter in the face, the tissue and cartilage being displaced by the contact of his foot. The sound it made was sickening. At that moment in time he had looked just like his father.

While observing his father throughout the years he had become unaffected by his cold personality and apparent disregard to the wants, feelings, and needs of others. He had learned to basically live without a father. The only thing Lucius ever offered him was money, hoping material possessions would satisfy his son enough to not cause him any trouble.

His indifference to his father changed when the elder Malfoy started to hit his mother. First he felt rage that his father would do such a thing. Then he grew fearful as he saw the abuse take place more frequently. Lucius was cold, and unthinking when he would hit his mother. It seemed as though he would strike her without preemptive thought. That would change after each time he first hit her. It was a simple reaction at first, then it became pleasure, continuing his vicious attacks as he dominated his wife in a way that only he got satisfaction from. He would never use his wand when abusing his mother. Striking her with his bare hands was more gratifying than if he just held her under the Cruciatus. Being able to feel and hear the bones break, and see the bruises and blood appear caused his father a happiness he had only felt while serving as a Death Eater. Malfoy easily saw the kind of man his father was as a loyal servant to the dark wizard. The Dark Lord gave permission to satisfy those dark urges, and then he would praise his servants, which in turn intensified their need to cause chaos, to torture and terrify the innocent and young.

_Is that what I am becoming? A loyal Death Eater, ready to join his ranks were He to return? _He had looked the same as his father as he had nearly killed Harry Potter. He knew he had gained pleasure from causing the pain. At the moment it hadn't sickened him, didn't phase him at all. He was too caught up in the excitement his actions afforded him to realize exactly what he was doing. It was terrifying to see how Potter had looked at him once he had gotten up. His face was defiant and angry, the same way his mother would look at his father after her face and body was broken and torn by his hands. And I had laughed in turn, just as my father had done when faced with mothers contempt. What could possibly happen to you when your darkest appetites are sated?

The segment closed as the darkness whirled in front his mind, starting its dance over again. He had realized that the more he viewed the memory the more pieces that went missing. He knew that he had seen what happened after attacking Potter, but for some reason he could no longer recall the events, and he was sure that the next time the dancing ended he would discover that more pieces would be missing. _Is my current condition caused by what happened afterward? Is that why I can't remember what happened?_

The moment he woke up he knew that he had to fix what he had done. If he didn't remember the fight exactly he knew that the emotions and feelings would still be left with him. He had to fix this rivalry with Potter immediately. It is amazing how hostile the two had become with each other. All of it started because he had felt scorned when Potter had refused his friendship. He would not succumb to that petty anger. Never would Draco Malfoy become a groveling Death Eater. He refused to become his father.

xXxXxXx

Her schedule was starting to catch up with her. The lack of sleep hadn't bothered her, it was expected, it was the way it was affecting her school performance that was troublesome. She was still exceptional when it came to spell casting, but it was more difficult to produce a strong enough spell for it to be functional. Before she had been practicing casting the Disillusionment Charm on herself, but now it wore her out, so she would either get a teacher to cast it on her or she would go without it, being more cautious as she used her Time-Turner. Potions was more difficult than ever. They weren't the best quality even though she could still get it brewed correctly. Cutting the ingredients properly and maintaining her focus had become a chore, especially when Harry and Neville were always requiring her help with theirs.

Three weeks of school have gone by and she knew she needed a break. The first weekend in October was the first Hogsmeade visit. She would have to wait until then to relax, perhaps taking a day to just sleep. For now she had to keep going. Figuring out what spell Harry used was difficult considering she couldn't understand Parseltongue. All the books she needed to determine a spell based solely on it's effect were all checked out of the library. The Professors probably had scoured all the books needed as they were also looking for a remedy to Malfoy's situation.

Though it has been three weeks Malfoy hasn't shown any sign of gaining consciousness. None of the Professors knew what to do. The only reason Hermione knew how his condition was is because Madam Pomfrey knew of her efforts to help rid of the dark spell that inflicted the Slytherin.

She turned to another book as the one she had currently left her completely lost. The library was empty as all the students were in their classes. One of the benefits of having a Time-Turner was having the freedom to go back in time and use the library in solace. Madam Pince, as well as all the other Professors, knew that she had a Time-Turner, so it didn't faze them to see her in odd places at odd times.

While scanning the new book to determine its amount of worth she contemplated Harry's behavior. He seemed to let up a bit after that fiasco in Potions but he was still acting odd. Avoiding his friends, especially herself, wasn't something he would normally do. Several times she had seen him slip out of the dormitories during the middle of the night, doing what-she didn't know. Despite the possibility of Black being present Harry didn't seem to care much about his safety. He continued to skip classes once in a while and yell in rage at either her or Ron over little things. Ron had started backing off, getting tired of Harry's attitude, but she just grew more concerned and dedicated to finding out what was going on with her best friend.

If it wasn't for the dark spell he had used Hermione would have assumed it was a teenage phase that he was going through. Despite her dislike of Malfoy she didn't think it was right to completely incapacitate him for nearly a month. The only reason she continued this tireless research was because she had planned on confronting Harry about the fight once she found out what the spell was. She needed leverage before she could do that though, and the only way she could confront Harry and demand answers from him is if she knew exactly what he had done to Malfoy.

She slammed the book shut, another dead end. While putting the books back on the shelves, and ignoring Madam Pince's glare, she decided she would have to look in the Restricted Section. Perhaps she could 'borrow' Harry's cloak.

xXxXxXx

_The Mirror of Erised showed numerous amounts of people. Not only did it show all of his family members, it showed every single person he had ever seen, whether he knew them personally or not. The numerous amounts of people mingled in a infinitely expanding room, in complete harmony with each other. Sometimes he would focus on a single person and just look at their smiles, gestures, facial expressions. He would reach out, to connect with them, only to be blocked by the glass, and the reality that what he was seeing wasn't real. Looking down at his 11-year-old body, he decided that he could sit and enjoy this harmony for many years to come. His young age would afford him this luxury, giving him plenty of time to get back to life. For now, he could just sit and look in at the harmonious world he was privileged to take part in._

_Once in a while he would see Shadow lurking through the crowds, his inky presence the only thing that tainted this otherwise perfect world. The dark entity would encase its shapeless self over people at random, trying to hold their form and take their identity. Harry would only smile at Shadow's futile efforts. It was weak and unable to hold any form for long, trembling before unwinding back into a shapeless existence._

Harry awoke abruptly. He pulled back the curtains around his bed slightly, seeing if any of his roommates had been disturbed. Plopping back down on his pillow he stared at the ceiling, trying to finish waking up. Shadow had been entertaining itself with that dream since the start of the school year. Why the dark bastard decided to use the Mirror of Erised was a mystery to him. The Mirror didn't even show what he had actually seen in his first year.

Stretching, he quietly opened the curtains and rooted through his bags, looking for a Dreamless Sleep potion or a Sleeping Draught, only to discover that he was all out. He put on a robe and some slippers, gathered his bag, wand, invisibility cloak and map before heading out of the dormitory to the common room.

He had theorized that Shadow was using the Mirror in his dreams as a way to access his memories. Although he was certain, Harry thought that Shadow was trying to take form, and the only way to do so was to copy their images from his memories. Naturally, he was disturbed by this concept and had found that taking Dreamless Sleep or a Sleeping Draught would inhibit Shadows efforts. He had discovered this revelation the night after the first day of classes. Shadow didn't make an appearance the first night because he was in the Hospital Wing and Madam Pomfrey had given him that potion. Most of the time he had been taking the Sleeping Draught, however it wasn't strong enough to keep Shadow away the whole night, it just seemed to weaken its efforts. The Dreamless Sleep, however, stopped Shadow's progress entirely because of the nature of the potion.

Distinguishing the fire, he stepped in the fireplace and tapped the back brick with his wand. Since reading the book offered to him from Dumbledore, _The Magical World Around Us_, he had been steadily developing his sense of magical properties. For the past week he had been wandering the castle, discovering passageways and getting a feel for how certain wards and charms felt. His sense also alerted him to the presence of others. The past two days he had felt Hermione sneaking into his dorm in the middle of the night, returning his invisibility cloak. It was out of character for Hermione to use his things without his permission, so he assumed her secrecy had something to do with him. He would have to leave that mystery for another time, there were other things that needed to be done.

He discovered this passageway behind the fireplace completely on his own. Considering the Marauder's Map didn't list it, he felt very proud of this achievement. When he figured out how to modify the Map he planned on including the certain passageways he had discovered.

Stepping out of the passageway, out of sight of the portraits, he donned his invisibility cloak and descended toward the Room of Requirement. Before he would have just used the portrait, but he has learned that all the portraits are completely loyal to the Headmaster and other Professors, and were notorious for tattle-tailing on suspicious students.

Pacing in front of the Room of Requirement, he entered a room that he was getting quite comfortable in. Inside the walls were lined with shelves, some filled with books, others with potion ingredients and empty vials. In the center of the room were four large cauldrons, a work bench on either side of each cauldron. Since the room didn't supply ingredients he had made an illegal trip to Hogsmeade. Students weren't allowed to wander the town just yet, so his presence would have been noticed immediately. Under the shelter of his invisibility cloak he wandered through the shops, gathering all items needed and leaving a pile of money on check out counter when nobody was looking. Although he didn't have a problem breaking some rules, stealing the items would have just been petty.

Setting down his bag he started up one of the cauldrons and began brewing the Sleeping Draught. It was quite simple to make. It only took half an hour and each cauldron yielded 5 doses. Dreamless was a different matter. Though it wasn't complex to make he wasn't able to yield a successful batch. He had settled with stealing from Snape's stores, but he wasn't stupid. The Professor only had two vials of the draught, so Harry could only take one of the vials and hoped that it passed by the bats notice.

Bottling up the finished Sleeping Draught he grabbed several ingredients from his shelf and a potions book and tried for the third time to make the Dreamless Sleep Potion. He was certain he could accomplish it this time, the only problem he had with the instructions was determining when to turn down the heat to give the potion the right violet color.

If Snape weren't such an ass he would have been able to do this easily. It was difficult to care about learning anything when a greasy demon was always breathing down your neck and shouting insults at you. Now that he found a use for the subject, Harry had been more focused in class and trying his best to kill his emotions whenever Snape confronted him. He was just glad that Ron wasn't in the class to make things worse. If the temperamental red-head was there he wouldn't have a chance of learning anything.

Ron had been his best friend since his first year at Hogwarts, but he had noticed that a lot of things were changing between the two of them. He wasn't sure if it was the unknown influences of Shadow on his subconscious, but he felt that he and Ron wouldn't be friends for very long. He noticed himself getting annoyed very easily by Ron. The boy just seemed dull and predictable. Harry had been glad to hear that Ron and his family were going on vacation the start of October. They had won a Ministry lottery during the summer, had their picture in the _Daily Prophet_ and everything, but hadn't decided what to do with the money until recently. He needed the break from Ron and the time to consider that maybe they should end their friendship.

He smiled with glee when the potion was done successfully. The cauldron yielded 4 vials, so he bottled them up before looking at the clock. Two hours till breakfast. He fired up two cauldrons and began brewing the Dreamless sleep again. In an hour he will have 8 more vials with plenty of time to get back to the dorms to get ready for the day.

So far he was happy at the discoveries he has made with Shadow. The Dreamless Sleep hindered him completely through the night while the Sleeping Draught just prevented him from getting stronger. He was still researching ways to completely dispose of Shadow completely. He had come across a potion called Draught of Living Death. If he could somehow manage to make this potion or acquire it, he theorized that it would make Shadow think it was dying and would destroy the evil entity. But so far it was just a theory, and needed to look into it more before committing to a plan.

Shadow had already caused enough trouble for him. Malfoy was still unconscious and his condition unknown to the Professors. Harry had taken the liberty of also discovering what spell he had unwittingly used. _Tacenda Vis_ is a type of primitive memory charm. It knocked the target unconscious and slowly fogged their memory of a certain type of event. While the memory was still there the spell just made it inaccessible. He guessed the reason it befuddled the professors was because it was nearly impossible to detect its presence, second it was a very old form of magic, not very favored by modern dark wizards, who preferred fast, vicious ways of disposing of their enemies and their memories. The length of its effect depended on how disciplined the targets mind was. On average it took the spell between 2-4 weeks to complete its work. The spell was considered Dark Magic because it trapped the target in their own mind until the spell was complete. Nobody knew how to reverse the effect or hinder its progress because of how undetectable it is. So as far as everyone knew, the spell was irreversible once cast.

Though he was sure the Professors wouldn't figure out the spell, he checked out all the books in the library, including the Restricted Section, that could lead to the spell that he used. He wasn't sure why he was so desperate to hide this secret. He assumed Shadow was feeding him its paranoia, but he couldn't be sure. It wasn't as if they could figure out who attacked Malfoy just by discovering what the spell was. Right? The only way Harry would be caught is if Malfoy ratted on him, but he was hopeful that the Slytherin brat wouldn't have any recollection of their fight. It would be best that way. Harry wasn't exactly happy with what he had done to Malfoy, even if he did deserve it.

Bottling up the potions into vials he cleaned out the three cauldrons he had used with a swish of his wand, grabbed his bag and cloak, and headed back to Gryffindor Tower. On his way up he could hear the sounds of students getting ready for the day. Before facing anybody, he grabbed one of the Sleeping Draughts from his robe and drank half of it. Though it made him groggy throughout the day, it did the same thing to Shadow. Harry was hoping to avoid another incident like the one in Potions. He got away with it once but he knew it wouldn't pass a second time.

xXxXxXx

"Follow me class. You will only need your wand so leave the rest of your items here."

The students murmured excitedly. Since the first day of school Professor Lupin had quickly become a favorite with the majority of the student body. The quirky teacher was always full of surprises. As they students eagerly followed, Professor Lupin explained what their lesson for today was.

"Boggarts are creatures that take on the shape of your worst fears. Since they have no other abilities to protect itself and is relatively harmless, this defense mechanism has left Boggarts hard to find, capture, and defeat."

They all filled in to a teachers lounge where, in the middle of the room, sat a chest that jumped as something within struggled to get out. Professor Lupin faced the classroom, ignoring the hysterical chest behind him.

"Nobody knows what a Boggart looks like when alone. They like to hide in dark places such as chests, wardrobes and beds. If you read your text from yesterday you will have found that Boggarts are the source of the Muggles "Boogey Man", and their childrens fears of seeing monsters under the bed."

Harry smirked at that. The muggle world was influenced by the wizarding world more than he had thought.

Professor Lupin turned toward the chest, and instructed everybody to stand back a bit furthur.

"To get a Boggart to retreat, simple point your wand at it, and say _Riddikulus!_ While casting the charm you have to think of something to transform the Boggart into something amusing. Watch."

Lupin opened the chest with the flick of his wand. Everyone held their breathe. The chest had stilled when the Professor had opened its prison. Slowly a full moon rose out of the chest and preceded to head towards Lupin.

"_Riddikulus!"_

The moon halted as Lupin cast the charm. The moon turned into a whoopy cushion, flaying around the room while making very loud farting noises. The class erupted in hysterical laughter, causing the Boggart to retreat back into the chest.

The atmosphere fluctuated wildly as the students each took their turn with the Boggart. First everyone was tense with fear as multiple aspects of peoples nightmares came to life, then it would lift very suddenly as laughter broke out. Neville's encounter caused the biggest uproar as everyone was treated to the lovely view of Snape clad in his grandmothers clothing. Even a few of the Slytherins couldn't suppress a small chuckle.

Now it was Harry who faced the chest. He was conflicted on what he feared. Voldemort? Maybe. Dementor? Most definitely. What about Shadow? How would the Boggart show that? Shadow was something that was unknown to him. Did Shadow originate from him or was it something that the Dementors implanted during their attack? He knew what the answer was, but he refused to let his mind acknowledge it. Perhaps the Boggart would be able to give Shadow a form? Maybe it would help him know what Shadow was, thus giving him an idea on how he was could get rid of him.

He raised his wand as a black, inky fluid spilled out of the chest. The ink bubbled and churned, as though it were trying to figure out what it was supposed to be. Shadow moved to the front of his eyes as he stared at the Boggart.

He heard slight whisperings from the students behind him. The inky mass slowly moved toward him. Shadow was churning wildly in his vision, its excitement sending bolts of magic shooting through Harry. Professor Lupin looked at him in confusion and worry. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea._ Before the whispers could increase as people fumbled with what they were seeing, he raised his wand and tried to verbalize the Riddikulus Charm.

He faltered as his magical floods were viciously blocked by Shadow. _Shadow shouldn't be able to do that, not when he had taken the Sleeping Draught._ Panicking, he forcefully said the Riddikulus incantation, trying to break through the barriers. At first he was skeptical that it would work. He had tried to break free of Shadows control before only to amuse it further. However, because of the Sleeping Draught, Shadows grip weakened and Harry's magic flowed through him, allowing the Riddikulus Charm to be successful.

The dark puddle instantly turned into smoke, fireworks that held the image of pixies burst out of the swirling clouds. The girls squealed while the boys laughed at the silliness. The Boggart retreated back into the chest as Harry retreated to the back of the classroom. Lupin was studying him and he didn't like it. The last thing he needed was another person asking him odd questions. He stayed hidden behind the students and refused to look anyone in the eye.

"Harry what was that all about? You were freaking everyone out."

Ron was being loud and not helping Harry stay inconspicuous at all. Hermione just looked at him with a studious look. At least she understood to stop bothering him. He was saved from deciding to either answer or ignore Ron when Snape's cold voice broke through the students' chatter.

"If you are quite done here, Lupin." Snape smoothly walked over to the front of the room where Lupin stood. "This lounge is a place for teachers to get away from the air-headed teenagers they teach all day, not a place to entertain them with parlor tricks."

Many students were already cramming to get out of the lounge before Snape decided to pounce on one of them. Nobody dared to complain if they didn't get a chance to face the Boggart. Harry just awed at the two Professors. He had never seen Snape so hostile toward a DADA Professor before. The over-grown bat had been more tolerant of Lockhart.

The students chattered about nonsense while waiting for the Professor to return to the classroom. Ron was distracted from his earlier questioning as he murmured and swore about Snape. Last year he would have easily joined Ron, but this year he just didn't care. So what if Snape was an ass? Aren't there plenty of others just as cruel in the world?

While Hermione nagged Ron about respecting his teachers Harry reached into his bag and drank the other half of his Sleeping Draught. The potion he had taken earlier wore off during his struggle with Shadow while facing the Boggart. Though Shadow had retreated after defeating the Boggart, Harry could still hear it raging in his mind in frustration. It gave him the biggest headache.

"Alright class, settle down." Professor Lupin strode into the room, sitting on his desk, while waiting to have silence. "Everyone did very well today. If you didn't get a chance to face the Boggart then I encourage you to return here during lunch so you can have a go at it."

He waved his wand at the chalkboard behind him, their assignment displayed for all to copy down.

"Chapter 4 is about disarming wards and environmental charms. Please remember to read _all_ of it as we will be spending the majority of class practicing the incantations to disarm them. Everyone is dismissed."

Harry grabbed his bag and hurriedly pushed himself in the middle of students heading out the door. Lupin had been looking at him since entering the classroom. This wasn't good. He had to try to avoid being alone around the Professor as soon as possible. He didn't like how protective Lupin was over him. He didn't even know the man.

"Harry, could you please stay after for a moment?" The request was voiced loud enough for Harry to hear but quiet enough to draw everyone's attention.

Harry swore under his breath. Just what he needed. He ducked down slightly and pointed his wand down at the floor. Different colors of fog swirled around the ankles of the students, causing some to freak and others to laugh in enjoyment as the fog riddled their clothes with colored powder. During the slight distraction he pushed himself into the hall and dashed down the corridor. He hoped Lupin had been too distracted by that little prank to notice him dashing from the classroom as fast as possible.

He stopped behind a large statue of a witch out in the courtyard. There weren't many people nearby and his Herbology class didn't start for another few minutes. He reached in his bag and opened another vial of Sleeping Draught. Draining half of it, he grew irritated. His body was already getting used to the potion. Doing any type of magic consumed the effects of the potion fairly quickly. Every time it wore off Shadow would ransack his mind, trying to finish its work it had only been able to do during the night while Harry slept. Finding a form for itself worried Harry even though he didn't understand it. Shadow was in his mind, how would finding a form change its situation at all? Harry doubted that Shadow would be able to jump out of his eye sockets once it became something.

He ran and caught up with Neville and Parkinson as they headed to the green house. Shadow had once again retreated and settled down in the back of his mind. The Sleeping Draught weakening it for know.


	5. Just Stop Trying

A/N: Sorry for the late update. I went on vacation for 3 months to a place that didn't have ANY internet access. As soon as I got home it was just Facebook and email :) Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Somebody asked "Why doesn't the Sleeping Draught make Harry sleep?" I guess I didn't really explain it that well. Sleeping Draught is a very mild potion, it is supposed to help you relax so that you can sleep, and not knock you out like Dreamless Sleep does. When Harry only takes half of the Sleeping Draught it makes his mind slightly foggy and relaxed but doesn't make him start snoring. The relaxing properties of the Sleeping Draught makes things more sluggish for Shadow, hence the reason for Harry to take it in the first place.

Just Stop Trying

_Everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody. -Mark Twain_

Draco still hasn't shown any signs of awakening. All the Professors would come in periodically with books and notes, trying to undue whatever afflicted the young Malfoy. It wasn't common for the entire faculty to take such interest in curing a student. Over the years the Professors learned that magical accidents happened often during the course of trial and error that came with learning magic. Most cases were simple and cured within a matter of days. Draco Malfoy's case was far from simple or accidental though.

It was suspected that Sirius Black was the one who cast the curse on Draco Malfoy in order to hide the fact that he was present at Hogwarts. The Professors worked feverishly during their spare time to release the young Malfoy of this magical hold and find out what he had discovered of Sirius Black that would make the escaped convict so eager to cover up.

Severus Snape felt like he was the only one who could come close to curing the young Slytherin, besides Albus Dumbledore, of course. The other Professors were ignorant when it came to the Dark Arts, making their research useless as they looked blindly in books they knew nothing about. If it weren't for Severus, none of the other Professors would have known Draco was afflicted with a Dark Curse. He had sensed it the moment he first laid eyes on his young charge after finding him unconscious. The Dark Energy hung heavy in the air, muddling his thoughts. As a teenager the feeling of Dark Magic enticed him and filled him with a sense of control he never felt otherwise. Now it just constricted his breathing slightly and slugged his thought process. His curiosity and love for the Dark Arts had died many years ago.

Severus got up from his desk and gathered together all the books he had rifled through. So far none of them helped at all, but they inspired an idea. He was the only member of the staff who thought that the curse afflicted Draco's mind, not his body. It just went to show how dense his other colleagues were.

Severus had just managed to search through all of the Headmasters books concerning dark magic and the mind. Considering how he wasn't able to find any answers in the old man's extensive collection, he knew there was only one place left to look.

"Any luck, Severus?" 

The Headmaster had conjured a chair and summoned two cups of tea the moment the Potions Master had walked in.

"Nothing solid Headmaster, but I have an idea."

Severus placed the burden of books on Dumbledore's desk and sat down as the Headmaster banished the texts to his private library.

"What did you have in mind?" Albus sipped happily on his cup of tea while Severus spoke.

"I know without a doubt that whatever curse that afflicts Mr. Malfoy is causing harm to his mind and not his body, as the other members of the staff seem to think."

"You know I have no doubts about that judgment. From what little time I've had to devote to research I can see where you get that conclusion." The Headmaster popped a treat in his mouth before continuing. Severus hated the predictable habits of the old coot. "Tell me, what is this idea you have? I have a hunch of what it is but I would like to hear it from you all the same."

Severus scowled inwardly. Of course Albus knew what his intentions were.

"Having exhausted all other methods I have concluded that there is only one place we can find some answers."

He paused and waited to see if the Headmaster would say anything, but of course he kept smiling and waited for him to continue. Old men and their games. How irritating.

"I ask that you allow me to perform Legillimency on Mr. Malfoy."

xXxXxXx

Harry was agitated. He had spent most of the week in the Room of Requirement, trying to modify the Sleeping Draught to last longer in his system without being depleted every time he used magic. Due to his poor knowledge of potions he failed miserable every time he tried, depleting his supplies further and leaving him more frustrated.

After giving up that approach he decided to make a Pepper-Up potion. Harry theorized that taking the Pepper-Up potion after the Sleeping Draught would help with his problem. Instead of the Sleeping Draught being depleted every time he used magic, it would deplete the Pepper-Up potion instead. If his theory worked it would mean that he would be taking two vials of Sleeping Draught and one vial of Pepper-Up potion throughout the day. The difficult part would be remembering to take small sips of Pepper-Up after each time he used magic. Though this plan will save his supplies, it would be riskier in that there were more opportunities for someone to see him sneaking sips of potions.

So far his plan was working well. Harry has taken only one vial of Sleeping Draught so far and hasn't had any problems with Shadow. Throughout Transfiguration and Charms he had to take small sips of Pepper-Up but nobody seemed to notice. He felt less nervous about being caught as he headed to Ancient Runes. No magic was performed in that class so Harry had no need to worry about sneaking doses.

Harry had started to regret taking Ancient Runes. It's been two weeks and he felt like he wasn't learning anything. All they did was take notes on dates and names of important people. It was almost as bad as History of Magic.

As the room filled up with students and class began Harry wished he had listened to Ron and taken Divination instead. Just because his mum liked this subject didn't mean he would also. Professor Babbling tapped her wand on her desk to signal everyone to quiet down so class could begin.

"Since we've covered a brief preview over what Ancient Runes is and how it acted in the past, we will be delving deeper into it's practical means."

The students took out quill and parchment as Professor Babbling conjured the chalk to write down on the board what she lectured.

"Magic has always existed in the world, even before people walked the earth. It is as ancient and mysterious as the universe. When magic first became known to man it was feared and shunned. As time went on some started to see magic as an untamed tool. The primitive man didn't have wands as a conduit for practical use, so, they developed runes."

She instructed everyone to open their _Ancient Runes Made Easy_ and _Runes Dictionary_ texts and study them while she continued.

"Runes is a language of magic. Inside every witch and wizard there is a bond to this language. Unlike Divination, where only certain witches and wizards can grasp that ability, all can learn to study and understand this art."

Harry was engrossed in the text. Although he couldn't understand what he was reading, it felt like there was a story just beneath the surface of the pages. A story that his magic was trying to tell him.

"What makes Runes so unique is the fact that its powers can be wielded by non-magic folk. Throughout history there have been instances where muggles managed to find some of these runes and use them to protect precious treasures. The Egyptians relied heavily on these runes to guard their pharaohs and the treasures in their tombs."

Professor Babbling paused as a hand shot up in the air. "Yes, Ms. Granger?"

"You said that only witches and wizards can understand this language. How is it that muggles would even know what the runes they found even did? If they can't understand it how did they know it would protect their treasures?"

Professor Babbling clapped her hands together. "I am glad you asked Ms. Granger! There is something you all need to understand before continuing your studies in this subject." She moved closer to the students, and spoke once all attention was focused on her. "Throughout the studies of your texts you will see that a portion of the Runes have a rough English translation of its meaning. The reason only a portion have translations is because the rest of the symbols are for you to translate yourself. You are here to develop your connection with this magical language so you can one day understand any Runes you come across and be able to properly use it without the aid of translation texts. All that the muggles have found are rare texts that have translations of a larger number of Runes. Even though the understand the meaning of Runes they very rarely used them properly."

Professor Babbling moved back to her desk and retrieved her wand. "Let me explain further what I mean when I say 'proper use'." She then pointedly showed the class how she levitated the stack of books on her desk.

"With wands all you have to do is say a phrase, and the rest is left up to you. All I did was say '_Wingardium Leviosa_' then I chose to direct the magic on my books and decided how high I wanted them to float. Runes is different in that your own magic doesn't take over and decide the rest. If I were to do the same thing with Runes I would have to inscribe on the books when to float, how high, and how long." She slowly descended the books onto the previous spot on her desk.

"The muggles didn't understand this. They would simply inscribe a Rune that meant 'protect' or 'hide' but nothing more. They wouldn't elaborate what was to be protected, for how long, and from whom. So in most cases the Runes they used did nothing."

"Now, the most important thing you need to understand." Professor Babbling peered around the room to ensure she had everyone's attention. "As you advance in your education in this subject you will be required to take certain vows to keep the knowledge that you learn within the magical community." Her voice was serious yet calm. Before continuing she looked around at every one of her students to ensure understanding. "By keeping this knowledge to a limited amount of people it is more controlled. If certain muggles were to fully understand this language chaos would ensue. Our world would be revealed and every witch and wizard would be in danger. If you've payed attention in History of Magic then I need not explain further."

The class was quiet for a few minutes as they fully absorbed what was just said. The silence wasn't broken until a Hufflepuff student spoke up.

"Do we have to take vows as we advance in Potions? From what I've learned so far, the majority of Potions can be brewed without any magical abilities."

"Thank you asking Ms. Lockean. Potions is more controlled in the fact that many of the ingredients can't be obtained in the muggle world. However, you are right. If you get into NEWT potions you will be required to take vows in order to participate in the class. If you wish to take this class next year you will also be required to take vows in order to continue in this subject."

Another Hufflepuffs hand shot up.

"What about the Squibs? They have access to the magical world and all texts they need to learn Potions and Ancient Runes. How come there aren't any Squibs in those areas?"

"In order to study Potions and Ancient Runes at higher levels you have to take the vows. Squibs are unable to take their vows because they lack the magic that makes the vows binding. Because of these and other rules, the magical world has become an unfriendly place for Squibs. That is why the majority choose to live their lives as muggles, where they have more opportunities to do as they wish."

After Professor Babbling finished her lecture and answered all questions, she instructed the students on how to properly use their _Rune Dictionary_ and how it can be used to reference information that will help identify Runes not in any of their texts.

_This is more like it._ Harry's doubts about the class started to ebb away. This was what he was expecting out the class. He assumed his mum was just as bored the first two weeks of class as he was. Harry would have to ask what his Uncle Matt thinks the next time he writes. From the looks on the other students' faces they were just as glad for the class' change in direction.

"I hope the lot of you like the Library. You will be spending a lot of time rifling through it's shelves. Your homework is going to require more sources of information than the ones you've got."

Hermione literally glowed with joy at Professor Babbling's statement. Harry himself wasn't to fond of spending hours of time in the Library. Hopefully with Hermione's extensive familiarity of the library he wouldn't have too.

"I recommend that all of you acquire a Divination textbook. Many of the Runes are based off of Divination symbols and vice-a-verse. It would help greatly."

Harry decided to wait a bit longer before deciding how much he loved this class and all the homework it came with; and how sane his mum was.

Everyone received the days homework assignment and filed out of the classroom. Harry hadn't expected to be so enthralled over his studies. The first two weeks of Ancient Runes were dull and the assignments seemed to be only busy work. Now, he could understand why Hermione was always engrossed in her studies. After what he learned in Ancient Runes he finally understood the value of dedicating himself to the studies of more than just Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"I never thought I'd see that look on your face." Hermione had caught up with him after assembling together the mountain of books she always seemed to haul around.

"What look?"

She smiled. It was good to see it directed at him. "The thirst for knowledge."

Harry wasn't sure what caused this newly found passion for school. Was it because of his determination to get rid of Shadow? Or was all this new enthusiasm coming from Shadow? Either way, it had something to do with the shapeless ink blot that constantly swam around his mind.

Harry grinned back at Hermione before returning his attention to weaving through the crowd of students. "I can finally understand why my mum loved that class."

"Do you know what else your mum liked?"

"Just what my Uncle's told me. She was brilliant at everything."

"Maybe if you write to your Uncle he could send you some of her old materials. It could really help you in your studies."

Harry stopped suddenly, angering several students as they bumped into him and dropped their things. He grabbed Hermione by the arm and continued walking down the hall.

"What makes you think my Uncle would have any of her school stuff?"

"Well, she was a muggle-born like me. She would want to share this new world with her family as much as possible. At least, I do. My parents keep all the stuff I send them and the homework I've done throughout the year."

"They really do that?" Harry wondered if Uncle Matt did the same. When he was younger he remembered his Uncle keeping all his drawings and school projects.

"Yes. It really does mean a lot to them. It makes them feel more connected to this world and less of an outcast as muggles."

They both scrunched onto the overly crowded moving staircase before it shifted again. What Hermione had said really did make sense. From the way his Uncle talked about Lily he was sure he had at least some of her school things.

After the staircase stopped Harry moved off of it quickly and turned into the nearest doorway before he could be swept in a different direction by the crowd of students. As he continued his course down the hall he turned to tell Hermione that he would write a letter to his Uncle when he noticed that she was gone. Harry knew she got off the staircase with him just a second ago.

Continuing his way down the hall he assumed they just got separated by the crowd. Perhaps she went to find Ron to ask if he went to Divination this last period. Lately Harry had noticed his mate becoming more distracted with the girls.

xXxXxXx

"Harry, wait up!"

Harry had been on his way to the common room with Ron and Hermione after lunch when Oliver Wood called out to him. He told his pals to go on ahead and meet him at the library before addressing the Quidditch Captain.

"Hey Oliver."

"Listen, there's been a change in plans. We start Quidditch practice tonight."

"Why? We were scheduled to start next week."

"The Hufflepuffs managed to schedule in at that time before us. So we will have this week and the night before the game to practice."

"Hufflepuffs? You said we were playing against Slytherin."

"Well, we were." Wood looked a little uncomfortable. Then again, he must be upset about not being able to face off against Gryffindors greatest rival.

"What happened then?"

"The Slytherins decided to put off competing at the moment due to the condition of their seeker."

"Why do you look so...guilty about it?"

"I know the Slytherins are our top rival, but don't forget about sportsmanship. If Malfoy doesn't recover in two weeks time they will send him to St. Mungo's for more long term care."

Harry still didn't get it. "What does that have to do with sportsmanship?"

"I don't mean to sound selfish when I say this. With Malfoy at St. Mungo's the Slytherins will have to get a new seeker."

Harry was still confused, and Oliver obviously saw it in his face.

"I mean, the Slytherin team the past two years have been the toughest to beat yet. With a new player on their team the match won't be as challenging. And with this being my last year and all, if I don't win a victory over the original Slytherin team, I will never know just how great of a captain I am."

Oliver looked deep in thought as he reminded himself of his worries.

"You know these captain morals go straight over my head Wood, but I get what your saying. Really."

Oliver smiled and placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Thanks Harry. Glad you don't think I'm mental. I have to go inform the rest of the players of the changes. If you see any would you tell them for me?"

"Will do."

Oliver turned back around and headed toward the Great Hall. As Harry watched him turn the corner he swore he saw Hermione dashing down the stairs to the lower level. He was positive she was spying on him now. But how? He saw Hermione head upstairs to the common room with Ron. How did she manage to walk past him and Oliver without either noticing?

Harry considered the possibilities while he headed towards the common room. He grabbed his second sleeping draught for the day downed the whole thing, taking a quick sip of pepper-up after to reduce the intensity of the fatigue that spread through him. Shadow hasn't shown any activity all day, meaning his plan was working perfectly. Maybe Shadow isn't as big of a threat as he originally thought.

He switched his Ancient Runes texts out for the potions materials before heading down to the library to meet up with Ron and Hermione.

xXxXxXx

Harry sat next to Ron when he spotted him. Hermione wasn't anywhere in sight but her bag was strewn on the table.

"Is everything alright with Quidditch, mate?"

Harry recited to Ron his discussion with Wood. The entire time Ron would periodically pop a piece of chocolate in his mouth when Madam Pince wasn't looking, making Harry laugh and lose track of what he was saying. At least there was something about Ron he still liked. Perhaps the past doubts about their friendship was influence by Shadow. It made sense. With Shadow more thoroughly contained Harry's temper was more in check and he was no longer annoyed by things that never had in the past.

"Malfoy's going to St. Mungo's?" Hermione appeared around a book shelf with a pile of texts in her hands. She plopped the stack on the table and sat down.

"Yeah, unless they fix him up pretty soon." Ron received a stern glare from Hermione as he popped another morsel of chocolate in his mouth. "But I say good riddance. This is the first calm year we've had since starting at Hogwarts. Even with Black on the loose this is the mildest year yet."

"I can't believe you Ron. Just because we've rivaled with Malfoy in the past doesn't mean he deserves what happened to him." Hermione yanked her bag open and started rifling through the assignments. "Besides, the Professors don't know for sure it was Black who attacked Malfoy. But whoever did it should feel terrible for what they did."

Harry didn't miss the pointed look Hermione shot his direction after that last statement. _What is she playing at?_

"I wouldn't worry about Malfoy so much Hermione. I'm sure whatever Black did, Malfoy will recover from it soon." Harry stated, trying to brush away Hermione's silent accusation. He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that Hermione had been spying on him longer than he thought.

"Why do you say that?" Hermione's interest was immediately peaked. "Do you know what happened to Malfoy?"

_Perhaps I shouldn't have said anything. _Harry groaned to himself.

"Why would Harry know?" Ron's words jumbled out through a mouthful of sweets. Harry and Hermione ignored him.

"I'm not saying I know anything. It was Black who obviously attacked him. If he wanted Malfoy dead he would have killed him instantly."

"What makes you so sure about that?" Hermione's voice had slowly started to rise. Harry didn't have time to deal with this.

"He's an escaped convict from Azkaban! If Malfoy really did know something like the teachers say, then Black wouldn't have left him comatose and take the risk of it still getting out!"

"Well then if Malfoy doesn't know anything, why would Black attack him in the first place?"

Madam Pince had heard the argument and was coming their way. Harry didn't plan to still be around to hear the lecture about being quiet in the Library.

"How should I know? Maybe you should stop treating _me_ like the escaped convict and ask Black yourself!"

He grabbed his bag and ducked to the back of the Library, taking the secret passage to the sixth floor. Hoping a little down time in the Room of Requirement would help quell the rising he anger he had towards Hermione. Not only had she been _stealing_ his cloak, she had been _spying_ on him too! Even though he knew Hermione had her reasons to worry about him, it wasn't her place to be snooping around. _If she could have been any help at all with Shadow I would of told her everything already!_

Perhaps he could lock up his invisibility cloak? Maybe even put a jinx on his trunk lock to set off when someone tried to open it? All he knew was that Hermione was going to get a hell of a surprise tonight when she tried to get his cloak. Harry grinned as he changed directions and headed to the next floor towards Gryffindor tower. Not only did his plan quell his anger, it would hopefully deflate Hermione's curiosity as well.

In the back of his mind, Harry knew this small excursion was partially influenced by Shadow. Though he had control of his thoughts and actions he could still listen to Shadow if he chose to. After all, who's to say Shadow couldn't have good ideas?

xXxXxXx 

"I can't believe him!" Hermione and Ron had been kicked out of the library for that argument. "'It isn't appropriate for third years to be starting fights in the library.'" Hermione mimicked Madam Pince as she stormed off towards the common room.

"Well, Harry was right you know." Ron hesitated to continue when Hermione glared at him. "You really were overreacting. You were questioning Harry like he was the one who attacked Malfoy."

"Well, what if he did?"

"What do you mean? You know Harry doesn't know any dark magic. Even if he did he wouldn't use it on shit like Malfoy."

Hermione sighed. She hadn't really intended for Ron to hear that comment.

"Well, actually..." She thought about whether she should tell Ron the truth. It would help greatly if Ron knew that something was wrong with Harry. Then again, if she told Ron how she saw Harry attack Malfoy he would have to know about the Time-Turner. Professor Dumbledore had given her strict instructions to not let any of the other students know about it. "Never mind. I am just worried about Harry. Since the Dementors boarded the train he hasn't been acting himself."

"I know what you mean 'Mione. It doesn't mean that he was the one to attack Malfoy. Besides, if you hadn't noticed, Harry has been more himself these past few days."

The two Gryffindors entered the common room and sat down in front of the fireplace, both of them a little disappointed Harry wasn't there.

"I've noticed too, Ron." Hermione stared into the fire, hoping the flames would give her answers. "But it doesn't mean that everything's alright."

She opened her books and continued working on her mountain of homework, attempting to unmuddle her thoughts. Ron sat and finished off his last sweet. Noticing the other students were busy studying or gossiping, Ron decided to take out a book. It wasn't homework, but since reading seemed to be his only option to pass the time, it might as well be something interesting.

"What book is that?" Hermione had noticed out of the corner of her eye that Ron was actually holding a book of his own free will.

"Oh, just a book I found in Harry's trunk. There were pictures of dragons in it so I thought it might be something interesting."

Hermione motioned for the book, looking at it in disbelief. "I've been trying to find this book for the past week! Why would Harry have it?" She turned to the page marked and scanned the paragraphs.

"I assume he got it for Ancient Runes. There were a couple more like that in his trunk, along with his other Rune texts."

_Tacenda Vis. This might be the spell Harry must have used on Malfoy._ Hermione quickly read the text. It was an earlier form of a memory charm, probably used to remove the memory of the attack. Reading further she knew Malfoy would recover in a few weeks time, seemingly unharmed.

"This is the answer! This is what is wrong with Malfoy!" She got up and started pacing around.

"What about Malfoy?"

Hermione lowered her voice, not wanting the other students to hear. "I've been trying to discover what was wrong with Malfoy, and I think I figured it out."

"Wait, why would you be helping Malfoy?"

"Your missing the point the Ron." She plopped back down in her chair, staring at the book in her hands. "I might know what happened to Malfoy. If I could just make sure..." She jumped back up. "Wait! You said there were other books like these in Harry's trunk. Can you go get the rest of them for me?"

Worry started to mix in with Ron's confusion. "I don't know Hermione. Harry wouldn't like it if we just starting taking things out of his trunk."

"Listen, Ron." She sat next to him on the couch. "Just think about it. If the books Harry has contain the answer to what happened to Malfoy, why wouldn't he tell anyone? Why would he keep this information hidden?"

"So what if he did? It's not like Harry owes Malfoy any favors."

"Your not listening! Enemy or not, Harry should have known to report this information immediately to the Professors. You said so yourself that Harry wasn't acting normal. This just proves it."

Ron stared at the fire for a few minutes, trying to decide the best thing to do. "Alright, I will do this for Harry's sake. If your right then we need to figure out how to help him. This isn't Harry."

"Thank you Ron."

Ron gathered the books from Harry's trunk and gave them to Hermione. She stashed them in her own trunk to look at later. Right now, the both of them needed to head to class.

xXxXxXx

It was finally the end of classes for the day and the students were eager to go to Hogsmeade, trying to enjoy the good weather before October came around. Harry had already started looking around the village searching for Christmas gifts. He already had one picked out for Ron, but he needed more time to find the perfect thing for Hermione and Uncle Matt. His Uncle usually enjoyed little magical trinkets to collect. Last year Harry had given him a Remembrall. Uncle Matt had though it very amusing.

After searching an hour or so he gave up and headed to the Potion's Supply store. His little experiment had depleted his stock considerably. He didn't have enough to last the coming week so he needed to replenish his supplies. Afterward, he could take the items to the Room of Requirement and still meet up with Ron and Hermione in time for lunch at the tavern.

The door jingled as he walked in. A mixture of aromas filled his nose and made his eyes water slightly. He had no idea how somebody could spend hours working at a place like this without fainting on a daily basis.

"Hello Mr. Hanson. Can you get these for me?" Harry handed his list to the man behind the counter.

"Your Mr. Potter, correct?"

"Yes sir."

Mr. Hanson took a brief look at the list before rifling through a huge log book. "I'm sorry Mr. Potter. Afraid I can't help you." Mr. Hanson returned the list to Harry.

"What? I know you have the items on my list. I came here nearly two weeks ago for the same things."

"You already purchased your limit Mr. Potter. Students are only allowed to purchase certain amounts of ingredients."

"What? When did that happen?" Harry was horrified. This couldn't be happening.

"It's been regulation since I was student. What do you need so many ingredients for anyway?"

Harry had an answer prepared in case of that very question. Lying seemed to be something he did a lot lately. "I'm horrible at potions, Mr. Hanson. Practicing is the only way to ensure I get a decent grade this year." Well, not all of it was untrue.

"Sorry kid. I'd help if I could. Ask Professor Snape to help you if you're struggling. The man is a master in this area and can give you more ingredients if you need."

"Professor Snape?" Harry's voice squeaked in an unpleasant way. Mr. Hanson obviously didn't know Snape very well. "Why would he do that?"

"He's a teacher boy! That's his job. Besides, the Professors have unlimited access to ingredients. It really wouldn't be a bother for him to let you use his supplies."

Harry thanked the man for his help and left the shop. He needed a new plan. He would have never thought that he couldn't get the ingredients. He sat at the tavern and drank butterbeer. He would only have a short time to himself to think of a solution before Ron and Hermione arrived.

Perhaps I can steal them from the shop? No. Mr. Hanson would now it was me the minute he found his stock missing. I could research alternative ways to control Shadow, or get rid of it permanently. Using Runes could help but it would take time to research all the right runes. He'd only been taking the class a few weeks, he hardly qualified to be using runes on something like Shadow right out of the bat. In the meantime he still needed the potions, especially the Dreamless Sleep he took every night. He would just have to steal his supplies from Snape's stores until he could find a way to properly use runes.

"Hey, Mate. How'd the shopping go?" Ron sat next to Harry as Hermione went to get the two of them drinks.

"Pretty good. I still haven't figured out what to give 'Mione though."

"So...you aren't mad at Hermione?" Ron asked timidly, fumbling with his fingers.

"I'm not really mad at her. I mean, Hermione has been our best friend since first year. I just thinks she is reading to much into things, trying to find trouble."

"I know what you mean, Mate." Ron crunched on an apple that he pulled out of his pocket. "We're just worried about you."

Harry downed his drink and motioned at Hermione who was still at the counter to get him another one. "I know, but there really isn't any reason too."

Hermione sat down at the table and gave each of them a butterbeer, and sat down a plate of biscuits for them to share. They just talked about the summer and school. Ron got irritated when Harry and Hermione started talking in great detail about their Ancient Runes class, feeling a bit left out and worried that his friend was turning into a bookworm like Hermione.

Harry liked the small talk. He never felt more himself since Shadow awoke on the train.

"Are you excited about the vacation Ron? Has your mum decided where to go yet?"

The red-head immediately perked up at the change in topic. "Yeah, we're going to Romania to visit Charlie and see the dragons. We'll only stay for a few days before spending the rest of our vacation in Egypt." He shoved a whole biscuit in his mouth and mucked it around his mouth. "But, mostly I'm excited for the extra time away from school."

"Ronald, don't talk with your mouth full! And you shouldn't think of this trip as a good excuse to miss classes. There are a lot of things you could learn in Egypt." Hermione sighed and nibbled a bit on her biscuit. "I've always wanted to go there."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Only you could turn a vacation into an experience worse than school."

The prefects started announcing the time to leave and everyone was escorted out of Hogsmeade and back to their dorms. The students were eager for the weekend ahead and the chance to sleep in.

The dorm room was in an excited tumult when Harry got out of the shower. All the boys were gathered around Ron in amusement.

"What's going on Dean?"

Dean looked at Harry with a smirk. "Someone's pranked Ron! Look at him!"

The boys parted so Harry could get a look at his friend. Ron stood there just in his pajama pants, his skin pigmented a glowing, neon green. With his gangly looking arms and legs Ron would have looked like an alien from a distance. Even with no lights on, Ron's luminous skin would act like a very bright and large night light.

Harry growled in anger as he shoved his roommates aside and opened his trunk. "What did you take from my trunk, Ron?"

The green glow of Ron's skin dimmed slightly as he paled.

"What did you take? I put that jinx on the lock in case anybody broke into my trunk. Tell me what you took Ron!"

"Well...I didn't really think it would be such a big deal. Hermione saw me reading one of your books and she said she had been trying to find them..."

Harry didn't even listen to the rest as he bolted from the dorm and down the stairs. He stopped at the foot of the staircase that lead to the girls dorms and started shouting. "HERMIONE! HERMIONE! GET DOWN HERE!" He felt a thumping in his ears as his blood pulsed through his veins. Shadow squirmed in front of his vision and transformed the world into black and white.

Hermione walked down the stairs in a huff, a handful of girls behind her who were curious about the commotion. "What, in gods name, is wrong with you? You don't have to shout!"

"YOU STOLE FROM MY TRUNK! GIVE ME BACK THOSE BOOKS RIGHT NOW!"

Hermione backed up the stairs to where Harry couldn't grab at her. "I don't know what you're talking about Harry." Her voice was shaky and her face was pale.

"DON'T LIE! First you've been stealing my cloak and now you're taking my things!" Harry could feel the barrier that prevented him from running up the stairs and getting the books himself. "You don't understand anything Hermione! You think you can help but you can't! Stop trying to help Hermione, just stop trying!"

"Come on, Harry. They're just books. They belong to the library anyway." Neville had been standing the closest to Harry during his rampage.

"That's not the point!"

Hermione started running up the stairs back to her dorm, shaking.

"Don't ignore me Hermione! I don't care what reasons you have, you had no right to be looking through my things!"

A few of the girls glared at Harry as they retreated up the stairs to check up on Hermione. The rest of the Gryffindors had assembled themselves around the staircases to witness the confusing scene. Some of them looked angry at Harry, but most of them were just confused.

Harry pushed his way back to his room and isolated himself on his bed, the curtains drawn and silencing charms up. He had no idea what Hermione was going to do with those books. He had a feeling that she _knew_ he had attacked Malfoy. Was she going to turn him in once she discovered what spell he had used against Malfoy? What would the Headmaster do once he found out? _I'm going to be sent to Azkaban._

He screamed in his pillow, letting his uncontrollable rage flow through him. He had to stop Hermione, had to make her forget about all of this. Shadow swirled in front of his vision, trying to get control. Harry blinked his eyes trying to get Shadow to go away. He grabbed a vial of Dreamless Sleep and downed it. He wasn't desperate enough to let Shadow help. Not yet.

xXxXxXx

Hermione sobbed silently, knees pulled up and head down, as the other girls started crowding around her.

"God, I never knew he was such an ass." One of the girls nearby her said.

"I know, and the way he looked like he was going to hit Hermione. What a bastard."

"I couldn't believe all that yelling was over a few books."

"Hermione probably didn't take anything in the first place."

"Even if Hermione did, why would she give them to him after the way he yelled at her?"

The girls were murmuring angrily around Hermione as she tried to calm down, a few of the girls rubbing her back soothingly and whispering calming words. After a few minutes her shoulders stopped shaking and she was able to look up and wipe the moisture from her face.

"I just wish I could help Harry." She hiccuped out.

"Hermione, you don't owe anything to that boy. There is no reason why you should help. He was born a jackass and will die one. There isn't any reason trying to change him." Missy said sternly.

Missy had been her one friend besides Harry and Ron. She had been there at the beginning of the first year before she became good friends with Harry and Ron. She was there at the hospital wing when she had turned into a cat from the Polyjuice potion and when she had been petrified by the Basilisk.

"Missy, you know what you're saying isn't true. Harry has never acted like this before and I need to help him to be his old self again." Hermione folded her legs down in front of her and peered at the room of girls.

"It probably isn't anything you need to worry about." A muggle-born fourth year said. "All boys turn into jerks at puberty." The girls in the room nodded in agreement.

"I know it's not that! Didn't you guys hear what he said before I left? 'You think you can help but you can't.' That means that something really is wrong. Somethings happening to Harry that he can't fix."

She rubbed some more tears out of her eyes. "That's why I'm crying, not because he yelled at me. Harry is one of the most caring and considerate persons I know, and something is changing that."

The girls eventually settled down and started heading to bed. Hermione forbid any of them from reporting Harry's behavior to the Professors. Before she fell asleep Hermione looked at the books Ron had taken from Harry's trunk. At first she thought that Harry was acting out for some reason after the Dementors attacked him, but now she knew it was something more serious.

From what she knew there wasn't any other book in the school that had the _Tacenda Vis_ spell. And she knew for a fact that Harry had never checked out this book. Before this year he never had a book in his hands unless it was essential to completing an assignment. _Well then how did Harry know about the spell in the first place?_ It couldn't be because of his Uncle. He was muggle. And none of the other students had ever used that spell before and none of the classes in the school taught dark magic.

In her mind's eye, the memory of Harry attacking Malfoy flashed before her. _Maybe it has something to do with the Parseltongue!_ Harry had never used his Parseltongue in either casual conversation or spell casting. Parseltongue was something Harry knew not to show off to the general public. In her first year Ginny was possessed by Tom Riddles diary. Perhaps the Parseltongue has some sort of control over Harry? It didn't make any sense at all, but at least it gave Hermione somewhere to start. Somehow, the use of Parseltongue was a clue, and she would follow where it lead her.

A/N: Sorry if there are any typos or grammar mistakes. I read through and clean it up the best I can but sometimes you just miss things. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	6. Acting Strange

Acting Strange

_Death, so called, is a thing which makes men weep, And yet a third of life is pass'd in sleep. _

_-Lord Byron_

Harry groaned sleepily as he looked at his watch. It was 3am and he was already awake. Rolling over, he shut his eyes and willed himself to fall back asleep, even though he knew it was futile. After a few minutes of restless tossing and turning he sat up against his headboard, looking around at his roommates and envying their peaceful slumber. Harry reached over and swatted the empty Dreamless Sleep vial off his nightstand, growling in frustration as the rushed movement caused his head to swim horribly.

"Stupid potion." He mumbled. "Supposed to work."

The past week he had been waking up earlier than the night before. A full dose of Dreamless Sleep potion was supposed to keep you in a deep sleep for eight hours. All Harry managed to get this night was four. Although it was plenty of sleep to function on, Harry still felt horrible. Not only did he have to get up and make more potions to last him the coming week, he had a Quidditch game today.

Moving slowly, Harry rustled his arm around his school bag, tossing out several empty bottles before finding his last vial of Pepper-Up potion. After he drank it he was able to stand up out of bed without being dizzy and stumbling all over the place like a drunk. He packed up the empty vials he had thrown out back into his bag before grabbing his wand and Invisibility Cloak.

"_Lumos."_

Moving his glowing wand around, he searched through Neville's trunk looking for his potions satchel. Harry had been out of ingredients all this week and hadn't been able to steal from Snape's stores yet. Three nights ago he had crept down to the dungeons to replenish his supply of ingredients, only to discover that the storage room was blocked by a charm he didn't recognize. _Stupid Snape and his paranoia._

Harry grabbed the needed ingredients before replacing the satchel back into Neville's trunk. Putting his bag around his shoulder, he stood up and looked around the room again. None of his fellow Gryffindors had stirred despite the light from his wand and the noise from the empty vials that filled his bag.

Knowing he would have to change once he was down brewing, he threw his robes in his bag as well before throwing the cloak around himself and whispering, "_Nox." _While heading out the door to the common room, Harry glanced once again at the sleeping form of Neville. A little pang of guilt filled his breasts, but he squashed it down as he headed to the Room of Requirement. Although he wasn't proud of stealing from a fellow friend, it was imperative for him to gain control over Shadow. Besides, Neville was the only one of his roommates that wouldn't be suspicious of the lack of ingredients in his satchel. Due to all the accidents Neville created during Potions, he was always wasting ingredients and having to ask Snape to replenish his supply.

Harry was swallowed up in the Room of Requirement, where he set his bag down and began the horribly boring process of potion making.

xXxXxXx

Harry blinked as he peered around the Great Hall and the hundreds of students around him. This was the second time he had a time blank. The last thing he remembered was bottling up the potions he had brewed. He not only didn't remember leaving the Room of Requirement, he had no recollection of walking to the Great Hall and sitting with his teammates at the table. Harry smirked as he imagined himself shuffling around the castle with a dead look on his face like a zombie.

"Aren't you pumped about the game, Harry? We're going to crush Hufflepuff!" Wood screamed into his ear.

Harry also hadn't noticed the deafening noise around him either. He wondered if this was all just a lack of sleep. It's not like it was uncommon for people to have time lapses. Uncle Matt sometimes came home late from work tired and not remembering the drive home.

The team finished up their breakfast before heading down to the lockers to get ready for the game. While walking out of the Great Hall they were cheered on by fellow Gryffindors with painted faces and outrageous clothing, showing their support for the team. Harry hadn't seen Ron or Hermione yet, and he didn't really care. He felt mad and guilty at the same time whenever he saw them. Harry had decided to distance himself until things cooled off after that rampage he had that night in the common room. Never in a million years did he imagine himself screaming over a few books.

The locker room was filled with excitement and nervous energy as the team readied themselves for the first game of the year. Wood kept shouting encouraging words and going over last weeks practices, trying to keep everybody pumped and confident.

"Alright, everybody line up!" Madam Pomfrey had bustled into the locker room, wand brandished. Every so often the medi-witch made it her duty to check on the teammates health status before the game started.

"But the games about the start!" Dean exclaimed.

"Can't this wait another time?" Wood interjected. "We can't be late to start the first match of the year. It's bad luck!"

"If you're late, it'll be your own fault. I would be done by now if you all were lined up like you're supposed too!"

Everyone grumbled impatiently as they lined up in front of Pomfrey. With a wide motion of her wand, she scanned the entire group with a diagnostic spell.

"Mr. Potter, do I need to excuse you from this game?"

Harry shrunk back slightly as everybody turned to look at him.

"No, Madam Pomfrey. I'm fine, really."

"That's not what I see. You look like you haven't slept in a week! If the weather was worse I wouldn't dream of letting you out on the Quidditch Pitch."

Fred and George frowned as they took in Harry's ragged and pale appearance.

"I really am fine. It's just nerves. I always get really worked up before the first game." Harry hated all this attention. He just wished Pomfrey would let them head out for the game.

"Alright, but you see me after the match is over. That is, if you don't end up in the Infirmary on your own."

The team grabbed their brooms and walked out into the middle of the field to greet the Hufflepuffs. They shook hands with the other team and waited for Madam Hooch to start the game.

"You need to take better care of yourself Harry. We can't risk losing you as the Seeker because of health problems." Wood whispered in his ear.

Thankfully, Madam Hooch sounded the whistle and they were off. The last thing he wanted was to explain himself to Wood. Harry started circling overhead as the Quaffle was being tossed back and forth between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor players. Normally Harry would be down below helping distract the other team, but the Hufflepuffs aggression was extremely mild compared to the other houses.

Harry circled around looking for a glimpse of the Snitch. When Cedric started following him around he would speed up fast in one direction, acting like he saw the snitch, and then turning abruptly when he came near a Bludger, leaving the other seeker in its path.

During his fake-plays with Diggory, the Hufflepuffs managed to gain 60 points to Gryffindors 10. Wood was outraged and yelled at his team to play more aggressively. His words were taken to heart as Alicia Spinnet made a chaotic burst towards the goal posts. The three Hufflepuff chasers followed after her and attempted to knock the Quaffle out of her arms, Johnson following right behind just in case she needed to assist Alicia. As a Bludger was headed her way, Alicia rolled the Quaffle over her arm and tossed it behind her. Alicia's broom was hit by the Bludger and knocked off her broom seconds after she released the Quaffle. In all the confusion, Angelina Johnson caught the Quaffle tossed to her, flew over the Hufflepuff chasers, and threw it into the center post right over the Keepers head.

"50 points for Gryffindor!" Lee shouted, enticing the crowd to overwhelming cheers and boos.

The game continued for several hours, with the teams switching back and forth between leads. When the score was 140-130 Hufflepuff, Harry spotted the snitch. Leaning forward on his broom, he burst toward the sparkle of gold. It took several seconds for Cedric to chase after, realizing that Harry wasn't toying with him. Harry flew haphazardly trying to keep up with the lightning fast snitch. Cedric had caught up to Harry during the chaotic flight and the two Seekers were now neck and neck.

The crowd started to scream in fright. Harry looked back towards the other players and saw them zooming around crazily, avoiding cloaked figures, the Quaffle left forgotten on the ground. Turning his attention back to the snitch, he sped up to gain some headway on Cedric. If Diggory wasn't going to stop for anything, neither would he.

The air was suddenly bitterly cold. He could see his broom and hands starting to frost over. He also felt weak and dizzy, he could barely make out the snitch now. Stretching out his hand, he tried grasping the snitch. _Just a bit closer..._

A huge weight slammed into him, and soon he couldn't make out anything but trees all around him. He lost hold of his broom as he smashed into a branch, the ground coming up on him fast. The last thing he remembered before darkness overtook him, was a faint screaming in the background.

xXxXxXx 

Harry slowly came too as he heard the sound of rustling leaves above his head. Opening his eyes, he saw the huge trees of the Forbidden Forest and faint rays of sunlight. For a second it also appeared that the trees were moving _away_ from him. While his mind puzzled out the oddity he was apparently seeing, a mound of dark fur from a _huge_ beast entered his field of vision.

Hot and moist pants of breath assaulted his neck. Huge jaws were clasped around his collar as the beast seemed to be dragging him along the floor of the forest. Harry yelped as he realized his life was in danger, pulling out his wand while yanking himself from the grasp of the giant animal that had decided to eat him for lunch.

Knowing he only had a few seconds to spare before the animal attacked, he shot a quick stunning spell towards its direction before turning around and running off into the forest. He took but a few steps before he crumpled over in pain. His leg and left arm flared during his attempted escape. Harry wasn't completely aware of how he ended up in the forest, but it was obvious his injuries happened when he fell off his broom and came careening towards the ground.

"Calm down Harry. You'll only hurt yourself more if you keep trying to run off like that."

To his utter shock, Harry realized the voice had come from the _animal,_ and from what he could make out, that animal was a very giant dog. Harry couldn't think of anything to say. All the excitement of the day, along with his exhaustion, had caused him to settle into a kind of dazed shock as he peered at the giant, grinning dog.

The dog came up close to him and sniffed at his leg before sitting down. "No, you aren't hallucinating, if that's what your thinking. I am indeed a talking dog. You may call me Argo."

"How did you know my name?" Harry asked after a few moments of watching the dog grin and wag its tail.

"I was very close to your parents." The dog stood up on all fours, walking towards Harry. Bending his head down low, the dog looked Harry in the face. "You look just like your father, except for the eyes. You have your mothers eyes."

Harry and the dog stared at each other for a few minutes in quiet contemplation. The dark-furred dog had the most entrancing midnight blue eyes. Although Harry saw a lot of sadness in them, there was also a playfulness about them, that suggested the dog loved to laugh and joke. Also, Harry felt Shadow shift slightly in the back of his mind. Focusing his attentions on Shadow, he could feel the being was in a torrent of emotions. Most of them were too complex for Harry to make out, all he could basically feel from Shadow was a mixture of confusion and...sadness? The intensity of Shadow's emotions lessened when he broke eye contact with Argo. Harry knew he, himself, was having some complex feelings. It always tore him up a bit to hear about his parents.

"Why were you dragging me?" Harry asked, shaking himself out of his thoughts about Shadow's strange behavior.

Argo burst out laughing. The way the laughter sounded like a bark was too comical for Harry, so he started to laugh too, despite his flushing embarrassment.

"You should have seen the look on your face when you saw me! It was as though you were looking at the Grim himself!" Argo burst in cacophonous laughter as he remembered the events that happened not a few moments ago. "I couldn't have scared you so much even if I had planned it!"

After they both settled down Argo brought himself to answer Harry's question.

"I was dragging you out of the forest, Harry. It isn't exactly a haven to nurse your wounds."

Harry guessed that made sense.

"Why? I mean..." Harry had actually started to like Argo. He didn't want to offend him. "If you were close to my parents why are you just showing up now? Why are you helping me?"

Argo seemed to sober up a lot at Harry's question. When he spoke, his voice was more serious and mournful.

"Listen, Pup. After Lily and James died a lot of lives were changed in many ways. I returned to obtain truth and justice to honor the sacrifice your parents made to save you and the wizarding world."

"Why did you call me 'Pup'?"

"The last time I saw you was when you were just a baby. Like I said before, I was very close to your parents. I was very close to you. I helped you because I wanted to be friends."

Harry was silent at his words. Shadow had suddenly filled his mind with waves of sorrow. He couldn't understand why Shadow was doing this. Trying to keep control of his mind, Harry wished he had his potions bag with him.

"But why show up 12 years after my parents died? Why not before?"

"My life was drastically changed when Lily and James died, just like so many others. I have only now been able to appear, to make a difference and honor their memory. I know you want to know more but I can't tell you anything else, not yet."

Argos ears perked up suddenly, listening to the forest. "The other seeker is on his way over here. I have to go. Don't tell anyone else about me, Harry."

As Argo turned to leave Harry shouted out after him. "Wait!" There were so many questions he wanted to ask Argo, but there wasn't any time left. There was one thing though, that he had to know. Argo turned his head back and waited for Harry to continue.

"When will I see you again? I want to be friends also. I hardly know anybody who were close to my parents. I want to learn more about them."

Argos tail started wagging, a huge grin spreading as his tongue lolled out.

"I live in a cave just north of Hogsmeade in the forest. If you don't see me at first when you arrive, just wait. I will return to the cave the moment I smell your presence."

Argo turned back around and took off quickly into the forest.

"Harry!" Cedric came into view and rushed over. "It took me forever to find you. How injured are you?"

While Cedric was helping Harry examine his leg and arm, he suddenly got a very annoyed look on his face.

"Shit, Harry. Why didn't you tell me?"

"What are you talking about?"

Cedric pointed at his right hand. "Looks like you ended up catching the snitch anyways."

Harry looked at his hand and saw that the golden snitch was frozen firmly to his glove. He shook his hand trying to make it fall off. "I don't know if this really counts though. It don't think I exactly caught it. The snitch just sort of froze to me."

Cedric laughed. "Only you would have that type of luck." He helped Harry stand up and supported him as they made their way out of the forest. "It'll thaw out soon. The sun is still up."

As they left the forest, walking into the clearing of the grounds, they saw Professor Lupin waving at them.

"What happened anyway?" Harry wondered, trying to clear his memory of the crash into the forest. "Something rammed into me. That's why I fell."

"I think I was the one who crashed into you." Cedric continued to assist Harry as they walked toward the Professor. "There were Dementors everywhere. I don't know why. I didn't get to see how many there were before I blacked out."

"You blacked out? Why was I the only one on the train who did?"

Cedric shrugged. "I don't know. I think it was because of the amount of Dementors that were around. Before I passed out I couldn't even tell where the sky or ground was. There were so many of them surrounding me."

"Harry, Cedric, are you okay?" Professor Lupin had met them halfway. "What happened to you two?"

"We crashed into the forest, Professor. I wasn't able to find my broom, and Harry didn't have his." Cedric answered, while Professor Lupin waved his wand around them to check for injuries.

"What happened with the Dementors, Professor?" Harry asked. "Why were they in the Quidditch pitch?"

"I'm not sure Harry. Dumbledore made them leave after he was informed of the attack on the students. He was mad they hadn't listened to him and stayed to the edge of the Hogwarts grounds."

Once he was finished with his diagnostic spells he turned towards Cedric.

"Mr. Diggory, since you don't seem to have any injuries I need you to go to the Quidditch stand and inform the other Professors that you two were found, and that I am taking Mr. Potter to the Hospital Wing."

Cedric nodded and ran off towards the pitch once the Professor had taken over supporting Harry. Professor Lupin could smell faint traces of dog on Harry, and he was worried that Sirius had been around. The reason the Dementors were at the school was to protect the students, especially Harry, from Sirius Black.

"Harry, did you run into any animals while you were in the forest?"

Harry paused as he thought about this question. Did Argo know that people would ask about him? Was that why he asked Harry to not mention him?

"No, Professor." Harry had to lie better than that. "At least, I don't think so. I blacked out when we crashed into the forest. I didn't see any animals though when I woke up." Professor Lupin nodded and seemed to accept his answer.

"How did the two of you end up near the forest in the first place? I couldn't see anything because of the Dementors." He explained.

Harry grinned. "We were chasing after the snitch. Look." Harry waved his unbroken arm in front of the Professor. "I didn't even know I had it until Cedric told me. It froze to my glove! Can you believe it?"

The Professor laughed at the slowly thawing golden snitch. "I can guarantee that has never happened in the history of Quidditch."

Once they entered the Hospital Wing Madam Pomfrey immediately set him on the bed and began healing him. She mostly used her wand to heal his injuries, but gave him a small dose of Skele-Grow, to insure his leg healed strong.

The rest of the Infirmary was filled with a few other Quidditch players and students. The only ones with injuries was Alicia, when she was knocked off her broom, and Harry. The rest of the students were just pale and wet, sucking on pieces of chocolate as they waited for the effects of the Dementors to wear off.

Soon after Madam Pomfrey healed his wounds, the entire Infirmary was filled with the rest of the Gryffindor team and several students. Everyone was congratulating him on his lucky catch, and everyone kept theorizing how it happened. Wood was teary-eyed as he hugged Harry in gratitude and awe. A small celebration was held in the Wing as lots of sweets were passed around and sparks were shot off into the air.

Madam Pomfrey finally kicked everybody out and ordered all her patients to be quiet and rest. Alicia and the rest of her patients were free to leave as dinner approached. Harry was forced to stay because of the state of his health before the Quidditch match.

"I will make sure you eat a healthy meal and get a full nights rest before I release you from my care." She stated, refusing to hear any of Harry's protests.

As Harry ate his dinner, he cursed the silence in the Hospital Wing. One of the things he hated about the magical world was the lack of music. At home he had such easy access to it and found that he enjoyed to listen to music while he worked on his summer essays.

The reason he dreaded the silence was because his mind was occupied with nothing but itself, and Shadow. The overwhelming emotions Shadow had sent out while talking to Argo had finally been muffled in the background of his mind. He was worried about the scream he had heard as he blacked out. Harry remembered hearing the exact same scream when he was on the train, so he knew it was caused by the Dementors. The torrent of negative emotions he experienced today made him wish he had his potions with him. Harry was scared of what Shadow would do if he didn't take a Dreamless Sleep potion tonight. Shadow somehow felt a connection to Argo and he wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. Did that mean Shadow wasn't as dangerous as he thought? Or did that mean that Argo was dangerous? Harry really wished he had his potions.

"Harry?" Hermione came around the curtains that surrounded his bed. She looked worried and sad. "Can I talk to you?"

Harry turned his head to avoid eye contact with her like he had with Cedric and Professor Lupin. He didn't want Shadow coming out and hurting her like it had hurt Malfoy.

"Just go Hermione." He whispered. It shamed him to look at her. Never before had he let himself get so angry with a friend. If Harry had hurt her he wouldn't have had the luxury on blaming his actions on Shadow. That anger he displayed in the common room was entirely his own. Shadow had only been feeding on it.

"Harry, please don't." She sat down on the edge of his bed next to his feet. "I know you're mad at me. I'm just worried about you. I came by to see how you were doing. I was so worried the Dementors hurt you like they did on the train."

When Harry continued to ignore her she continued.

"Everything I've been doing has been to help you. You know that right?"

Harry turned to face her, but avoided contact while he spoke. Hermione would never leave him alone if Shadow came out and did something.

"I just don't want you to get hurt Hermione."

They sat in silence for awhile thinking. Harry knew he couldn't keep lying to Hermione, but he also couldn't tell her the truth either. Once again, he wished he had his potions. With a little bit of Sleeping Draught he knew his mind would settle down a bit so he could think clearly.

"Would you tell me what happened to you on the train?" Hermione asked hopefully. She wished Harry would start to open up to her.

Harry sighed as he considered his options. Either he can continue to ignore her and cause her to worry about him more, or he can tell her the truth. Part of it anyways.

"When the Dementor came into our compartment, I could feel it in my mind. It was pushing around and making me feel and remember things."

"What kind of things did you remember?"

"I kept seeing a woman screaming, then a flash of green light. It scared me and I don't know why."

Hermione nodded as he spoke.

"Why did it look like you were in pain? Did the Dementors cause it? The pain?"

Harry nodded. "I talked to Dumbledore about this. It hurt to feel them moving around my head, attacking it."

"What did Dumbledore say about it?"

"He said that I have a certain sensitivity for magic. I can detect it more easily than others. What I felt the Dementors doing was something they do to everyone. Because I could _feel_ it though, it caused me pain."

"Did you write your Uncle about this?" She asked after a few silent moments.

"No. I didn't think anything of it at the time. After the Dementor attack today though, I know they are the ones who caused the screaming and the green light. But I think you're right. I should talk to Matt about this."

Hermione left as Madame Pomfrey barged in, saying that Harry needed to finish his dinner and get some rest. Before leaving though, Harry convinced Madam Pomfrey to let Hermione come back after dinner to give him his school bag.

"I can rest and study at the same time." Harry insisted. "Resting involves lying down and avoiding strenuous activity. It doesn't mean I have to sleep this early in the evening."

Hermione returned his bag and she told him that she didn't look in his bag. "I know I have done some things to break your trust Harry. All I've done is complain how you won't trust and confide in me when you don't really have any reason too."

Harry believed her and didn't worry about her discovering his potion bottles. After completing his Potions, Transfiguration, History of Magic, and half his Ancient Runes assignments, he blew out the candle and settled in for sleep. Making sure Pomfrey wasn't about, he downed the Dreamless Sleep and rested without any thought to his previous worries.

A/N: Awesome chapter, huh? If any of you are wondering, Argo is indeed Padfoot. More information will be revealed in future chapters. Hope you enjoyed reading it! If there are any major typos I have missed please inform me so that I can re-upload. Read and Review! Thank you!


	7. Harry, Snape, and Legilimency

A/N: In Greek Mythology, Argo was the ship that Jason and the Argonauts sailed to retrieve the Golden Fleece (the fleece of a golden-haired, winged ram). Argo was named after its shipwright, Argus. The constellation of Argo is right under 'Sirius' or the 'Dog Star', the brightest star in the night sky. 'Sirius' is part of the Canis Major constellation.

A/N #2: Thank you reviewers, no matter how few of you there are! Special thanks to yamanana for the awesome review. If there's one thing an author needs, it's a dangerously inflated ego :)

Harry, Snape, and Legilimency

_I don't use drugs, my dreams are frightening enough. -M.C. Escher_

_Dear Uncle Matt,_

_Sorry that its been a while since I last wrote. This past week has been hectic. Mostly it's just school and all the bloody work they make us do. At least Ancient Runes is picking up. I am starting to see why mum liked it so much. Hermione suggested that you might have some of her old school things. If you do could you send me some of her stuff? It would help a lot with my studies. Other than that, all the commotion happened this last weekend during the Quidditch match. _

_A legion of Dementors went into the Quidditch Pitch and caused a panic. Cedric Diggory (he's the hufflepuff seeker) and I ended up crashing into the forbidden forest. The Dementors didn't affect me as seriously as they did on the train, but it was still aggravating. Right before I blacked out in the forest, I heard screaming and saw a flash of green light. I don't know why but it gives me a very uneasy feeling that I can't exactly explain. I don't know what it means but I think it is a memory of some sort. Before the Dementors I never recalled any sort of memory like that. I had the same thing happen when I first encountered the Dementors on the train. Do you know if there is a way to repel the Dementors? You were the one to tell me about their effects in the first place, so I was hoping you had more useful information to impart. I hate seeing that green light and hearing that awful screaming. I hate blacking out and waking up not knowing what happened. It's annoying and embarrassing and I don't want it to happen again! The last thing I want is for people to remember me as the Boy-Who-Pissed-Himself-Whenever-He-Came-Across-A-Dementor!_

_On a less hysterical note: How are things on the home front? Tell Jordan to expect an owl in a week or so for his birthday (I got him a wizards chess set). Tell him that just because he is turning 11 doesn't mean he can throw my bed out of the bedroom and claim the whole thing just for himself. Since you didn't write last week, I was wondering if there has been anymore news on Eddy. Did things go well at his court hearing? Will he be able to come back home soon?_

_I'll stop pestering you with questions about my cousins. There is this Professor I have to tell you about. Remember during the summer when the Daily Prophet announced there was a new DADA teacher? Well, his name is Remus Lupin. He is a really cool teacher but creepy too. Since the moment he saw me all he does is ask how I'm doing. After every class he always wants to visit with me and chat about nonsense. After the Quidditch match (we kicked ass, by the way) he kept asking me weird things about when I crashed into the forest. Seriously, what's his deal? _

_Also, he is always missing class and when he comes back he looks like shit. Do you think he's a drug addict like Eddy? It seems very likely to me. Do you know if wizards do muggle drugs or do you think they have their own type? I tried asking Hermione about it but she refused to answer, saying it was ridiculous to think a Professor was using drugs. I'm starting to think she just didn't know the answer._

_Hermione told me that during dinner after the match, the Headmaster said it is suspected that Sirius Black was close by. Hence the reason for the Dementors to terrorize everybody. I personally think that the Dementors were hungry for some soul-sucking and took advantage of the opportunity to feast on the young snacks they're protecting. Bastards. I hate Dementors and would rather risk the chance of Black sneaking into the castle than have to rely on those creatures from hell!_

_After that announcement the entire staff went out and searched the Forbidden Forest trying to see if Black was hiding around there somewhere. The only thing they found was two brooms. YES! I was so sad when I thought my broom was lost forever. It would have been awful finishing the Quidditch games this year on a school Clean-Sweep!_

_Anyways, I hope you are enjoying yourself and that Jordan isn't annoying you too badly._

_H. P._

Harry tied the parchment to Hedwig and sent her off to deliver the letter. He had been up all night trying to get some sleep when he finally decided to write a letter to his Uncle. Usually his letters weren't so lengthy, but he had tons of time on his hands and figured it couldn't hurt to fill his Uncle in on the happenings of Hogwarts.

Harry slowly made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast, extremely dazed and fatigued. Sleep has been more elusive than ever and it didn't help that all the potions he took added to the fatigue. Never mind that the potions were the cause of his insomnia in the first place.

As he entered the Great Hall he was immediately aware of the unusual volume of chatter that reached his ears. Not only that, the Great Hall was filled with more students than usual. Breakfast was usually small compared to the rest of the meals. Most students either slept during breakfast or studied at the library before the days classes began. Finding Ron and Hermione in the crowd of students at the Gryffindor table, he sat next to them and began pouring himself a cup of much needed coffee.

"Hey mate, why are you so late to breakfast?" Ron asked as Harry drank heavily from his coffee mug.

"I was up at the Owlery, delivering a letter to Matt."

"Well you could have sent it with Hedwig during breakfast after the _Daily Prophet_ delivery." Ron suggested, stuffing his mouth with a forkful of eggs.

"I don't get the _Daily Prophet._" Harry mumbled, irritated at being interrupted during his coffee intake. "What's with all the students anyway? Did something happen while I was at the Owlery?"

Ron pointedly looked at Hermione, with her nose poked into the _Daily Prophet_, and shrugged as he continued to devour his breakfast.

Harry was about to pour himself another cup of coffee when Hermione suddenly shrieked and shoved the paper in front of Harry and Ron.

"Look! This is what all the students are talking about. It's because of the Daily Prophet!" She exclaimed excitedly. "Look at this article." She insisted.

Ron rolled his eyes as Hermione waved the paper in front of his face. "Honestly, 'Mione. Whatever it is it can't be that exciting. Just tell us what the article says."

"Just read it!"

Harry snatched the paper from her hands and looked at the article she had pointed out, hoping to diffuse the argument before it got out of hand. Ron reluctantly looked over Harry's shoulder to read the article.

**Is Sirius Black at Hogwarts?**

_Late last night, St. Mungo's orderly Thomas Plund, reported to Daily Prophet officials disturbing events that have transpired at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Last evening, Thomas Plund and another orderly were sent to Hogwarts to transport Draco Malfoy, an apparently comatose student, to St. Mungo's for long term care._

"_The school Mediwitch reported to St. Mungo's the condition of Mr. Malfoy at the beginning of the school year." Plund said. "It is unknown what happened to the boy, but it is suspected by the Mediwitch and other Professors that it was the work of Sirius Black."_

_The report St. Mungo's received stated that Draco Malfoy was found by a Professor, unconscious in a school corridor, not even a week into the school year. So far there aren't any students suspected of rendering Mr. Malfoy comatose. However, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, commented when asked about Mr. Malfoy._

"_Dark Magic was used to incapacitate Mr. Malfoy, and it was done without alerting any of the wards in the school. It is highly improbable for a student to be able to achieve this." He also stated that the entire staff is working "day and night" to cure Mr. Malfoy so that he can continue with his magical training. _

_When the orderlies arrived to transport the student, they were faced with opposition from the Headmaster and some school Professors._

"_They said it would only hinder his recovery." Plund scoffed. "One of the Professors, Severus Snape, seems to think that with a little more time and research, that they will be able to bring Mr. Malfoy out of his spell-induced coma."_

_Thomas Plund and other St. Mungo's officials seemed to disagree and are worried about Mr. Malfoy's health. "The only way to ensure Mr. Malfoy's health, is to let a team of medical experts examine him." Plund explained, disappointed in how carelessly he thinks the school staff are caring for Mr. Malfoy._

"_It is hoped that Mr. Malfoy will be able to shed some light on what happened to him when he awakens." Dumbledore reported. "As we speak, we are getting permission from Lucius Malfoy to put a plan into action that will shed some light on what curse was used to incapacitate his son."_

_Does this mean that Sirius Black has somehow managed to take refuge within Hogwarts without a trace of detection? If so, what does this mean of the hundreds of Dementors sent from Azkaban to guard the wizarding school? Are Dementors an asset of safety for the school or a safety hazard? Many outraged parents seem to think that the Dementors need to be removed from Hogwarts, especially after they became aware of what happened at last weeks Quidditch match. _

_Many angry letters to the Ministry from parents and students instigated an investigation into the events that transpired during the first Quidditch match of the year. An unprovoked Dementor attack caused a panic among students and a major disruption during the game. Minister Fudge's spokesman stated that the Dementors would only have attacked if Sirius Black was nearby, and that the students just happened to be "in the wrong place at the wrong time."_

"_Despite the general uneasiness in the community, the Dementors will remain at Hogwarts until Black has been captured." Fudge stated. "Black is a very dangerous wizard. The safety of the children is at stake."_

"All of this happened last night?" Harry wondered. It was amazing how much happened just a few floors down from where he tried vehemently to get some sleep.

"Seems so." Ron stated. "I can't believe all of this fuss is over Malfoy. Am I honestly the only one that doesn't care if he is comatose?" He scoffed at the thought.

"I just can't believe how Snape is so actively involved in this." Harry commented. "I wonder why he cares so much. I know he cares for his Slytherins but I didn't know it reached such an extent."

"I just want to know what the Professors plan is to cure him. Whatever it is, its huge. The fact that they have to get permission from Malfoy's father means it's something that just might work." Hermione remained in quiet contemplation as the three of them headed to Defense Against the Dark Arts, their first class of the day.

If Harry didn't know what spell he had used on Malfoy he would be a lot more worried about what the Professors were planning. However, he knew that the _Tacenda Vis_ spell would protect his identity, even if the spell was discovered.

xXxXxXx

"Since the class schedule has been a little hectic due to my absences, I have decided to put more class time into practicing the fundamentals of Chapter 4." Professor Lupin motioned for everybody to open their textbook.

"Although we passed this chapter several weeks ago, I feel that as students you were unable to get the most out of it due to Professor Snape implementing his own schedule." The Slytherins snickered as the Gryffindors glared at them. "Since we are ahead of this years curriculum, we will once again practice disarming low-level charms and wards."

All of the chairs and desks were stacked in the back of the classroom. The students were separated into two lines, one line on either side of the room. They then began practicing disarming charms and wards. One line would conjure up a charm or ward and the other line would find a way to disarm it.

At first Harry was a little rusty as he tried to remember the counter curse for each separate charm or ward. After 20 minutes he was disarming everything perfectly. He started getting extremely bored as the same charms or wards kept coming up over and over again. The fact that all the spells were verbal, Harry would know the counter curse before the charm or ward was even put in place.

As the class continued he got frustrated at how ridiculous he thought this exercise was. If this would actually work in real life, he would have been able to break into Snape's storage room by now.

"Is everything alright Harry?" Professor Lupin had come up next to Harry and watched him as he continued to easily disable every charm and ward. "You don't seem to be having any trouble."

Harry started casting wards for his partner to disarm as he spoke to Professor Lupin. "Nothing is wrong Professor. I was just wondering about the reading you had assigned for Chapter 4."

"What about it?"

"It explains about disarming simple charms and wards but it doesn't mention anything about detecting them." Harry explained.

"Would you mind elaborating?" Professor Lupin asked, listening intently.

"Well, when we do these exercises we can hear what spell the other student is using. There isn't any work on trying to figure out what it is. In real life if there is a charm or ward, you find it. The chances aren't very high for you to be there to listen to what spell the caster used."

Harry could see Hermione gushing at him in pride at his logic. Professor Lupin seemed to think over what Harry said before calling the class for attention. He paced in front of the class as he explained what Harry had just told him.

"So what do you think?" He asked his students. "How would you detect a charm or ward? Especially one you haven't heard of before."

"You could just try all the counter charms until one of them worked." One Slytherin suggested.

"Perhaps." Professor Lupin said. "But as you know there are dozens of counter curses you can use. As third years you haven't even learned all of them. How would you be able to detect the charm or ward in a faster amount of time?"

Hermione's hand shot up. "What about magical sensitivity? Isn't it possible to detect it by reaching out with your magic and seeing if it is familiar to you?"

Professor Lupin nodded. "Yes it is, but that can take just as much time in order to focus your magic like that. It takes some magic folk a lot of practice in order to detect magic like that. Even then, what if the ward or charm ended up being something they weren't familiar with? They would be back where they started."

After several futile attempts at guessing the answer, Professor Lupin finally gave the students a break and explained.

"This isn't something that is normally brought up in a third year defense class. This topic is discussed in great detail in higher level defense and charm classes. The only way to get past or disarm a ward or charm you aren't familiar with, is to incorporate your magical signature with it." Many of the students mumbled to themselves in confusion before the Professor continued.

"Every ward or charm that is cast is infused with the casters magical signature. As all of you have noticed, when your wards are disarmed you canfeel it in your magic. In 6th year you will start to learn how to incorporate your magical signature into something. However, you must understand that you can't do that with every single ward or charm. The wards around Hogwarts are nearly impossible to penetrate. They prevent Apparating and Disapparating, the use of Portkeys and many other things. Those charms are not able to be broken through or passed. The reason for that is because of the nature of the charms and wards."

Hermione once again raised her hand. "So, your saying that wards either can or can't be incorporated with your magic? It just depends on the nature of the spell?"

Professor Lupin nodded. "I know it isn't a very detailed explanation, but you will learn more as you continue your education. Right now, just focus on the basics so that it will be easier to understand your classes in future years."

At the end of class, while Harry sipped on his Pepper-Up potion, he considered what he had just learned. Although it wasn't the exact answers he wanted, it still gave him a good idea of how he could get into Snape's storage room.

Harry and Ron left class together and headed towards Herbology.

"Where did Hermione go?" Harry asked, turning around and realizing that his friend had just disappeared.

"Who knows? She probably went to the bathroom to gossip or something." Ron said sarcastically. "Don't worry, I bet she makes it to class before we do."

xXxXxXx

Hermione had to quickly duck out of the classroom, making a run for it before too many students entered the corridor. If she intended to find out what the Professors were planning, she had to do it now. The longer she waited to use her Time-Turner, the longer she would have to wait to get back to the present.

Once confident that Harry and Ron weren't trying to find her, she went down the stairs and headed towards the Hospital Wing. The only way to ensure she hears what happens between the Professors and St. Mungo's orderlies, is to be in the Infirmary when she uses the Time-Turner.

The Hospital Wing was empty of everybody except Malfoy when she arrived. Madam Pomfrey wasn't anywhere to be seen, but that didn't mean the mediwitch wasn't in her office. Stepping carefully, Hermione peered around the room, trying to find a place where she could hide and listen undetected.

"Is something wrong, Ms. Granger?"

Hermione jumped and shouted in surprise as she realized Madam Pomfrey had come up behind her.

"I'm sorry Madam Pince." Hermione gasped out. "I thought you were gone when I arrived and didn't see you."

Madam Pomfrey chuckled slightly. "Sorry to give you a fright, dear. Is there anything you need help with?"

"A student is sick." She blurted out. _I just want you out of the Hospital Wing!_ "Someone sicked up on the second floor corridor just a few minutes ago."

Madam Pomfrey immediately entered nursing mode, grabbing all the supplies she might need before heading out to help the poor student. "Thank you for reporting this Ms. Granger. They were probably too sick to come by themselves." She said sadly.

Once Pomfrey was out, Hermione finally decided on a place to hide. Going over to Malfoy, pausing to look at his too still form, she crawled under his bed. Once sure that all body parts and school bag were hidden under the bed, she took out her Time-Turner.

The hours rewinded at lightning speed, and soon day turned into night. After putting her Time-Turner away, Hermione peeked out from under the bed to look at the clock. _10pm. The students should be in their dorms by now._ Settling herself down, she waited patiently for the orderlies to arrive, the only sound audible to her ears was Malfoy's shallow breathing.

45 minutes Hermione heard echoes down the hall, and soon the door to the infirmary opened up and several footsteps made their way over to Malfoy's bed.

"See? I told you he is perfectly alright. We haven't been neglecting him!" Madam Pomfrey seethed.

"We have orders to bring him to St. Mungo's." A male voice said. Hermione guessed it was one of the orderlies.

"You also know that the Headmaster sent word to St. Mungo's delaying the time to move Mr. Malfoy." Pomfrey snapped back. "By moving him now all progress made towards researching his recovery will have been for nothing!"

"We were told to come here at this time and remove Mr. Malfoy to the St. Mungo's long-term care ward." The orderly argued. "Whether your Headmaster sent word or not, St. Mungo's officials obviously didn't agree with it."

"Is there a problem, Poppy?" The distant voice of Dumbledore broke up the little spat between the Mediwitch and Orderlies.

"We have orders to remove Mr. Malfoy immediately." The same orderly said, obviously not deterred by the Headmasters presence.

"I am afraid you no longer have authority to have Mr. Malfoy under your care." The Headmaster replied calmly. "Lucius Malfoy has denied St. Mungo's permission to take custody of his son at this time."

"When did this happen?" Another male voice said. Most likely the second orderly. "None of the officials told us of this news."

"Lucius informed your superiors of the change about a week ago." Severus Snape's voice drawled out. "It doesn't matter what you've heard. You have no authority to be here so you might as well just leave. We don't have time to argue with dim-wits such as yourself."

"But it isn't safe!" The first orderly shouted. "It said in the report that all of you believe Mr. Malfoy was attacked by Sirius Black. The only way to help him recover is to move him to a safe environment."

"There is no safer place than Hogwarts." Dumbledore proclaimed. "Our protection and security barriers rival those of Gringotts. As for suspicions on Sirius Black, there is no such evidence at this time to believe it is true."

"Well then we demand to be updated on Mr. Malfoys condition and any progress made towards his recovery." The second orderly stated. "Since his condition was reported to us, St. Mungo's has a legal obligation to keep records regarding his treatment."

"You're hardly in the place to be demanding such things." Snape sneered. "Mr. Malfoy's health is no longer your concern."

"Now, Severus." Dumbledore softly chided. "No need to be rude to these two gentlemen. After all they are just doing their job." Hermione could imagine the Headmaster's blue eyes twinkling madly as he spoke those words.

"We will need to make a brief report on your current treatment plan for Mr. Malfoy before we leave." The second orderly stated.

"I am going to be performing Legilimency on Mr. Malfoy." Snape said. "And before you start assaulting my ears with ridiculous arguments, we are actively working with Lucius to give us legal authorization to search Mr. Malfoy's mind."

"What evidence do you have to suggest this will help in his recovery?" The first orderly demanded.

"Based on our observations of Mr. Malfoy," Pomfrey interjected, "we know that the spell cast on him is directly affecting his mind. The only way to help break it is to look in his mind and hopefully discover the nature of the spell."

_Oh, no._ Hermione thought. _This can't be happening._ Moving slowly, she reached in her bag and brought out a book with several page marks sticking out of it. Using the moon and candle light, she was able to confirm her worries. _If Snape enters Malfoy's mind, the spell Harry used would automatically start to infect his mind as well._

The Professors and orderlies continued to argue while she scanned through the book. Finding the passage she was looking for, she read hurriedly, as her worry continued to grow.

_It is unknown how to reverse this curse._ She read. _Tacenda Vis is hardly ever discovered until it has run its course and erased the memory from the victims mind. The only way it has been known to be discovered, is when a witch or wizard had attempted to enter the victims mind, only to be infected with the curse as well. There have only been a few cases of this happening, as there aren't many in the magical community skilled enough in the magical art of Legilimency. None of them recovered from the exposure to the Tacenda Vis curse, living out the rest of their lives in a comatose state. Experts have theorized that when the curse jumped from the host body, it would rampage the recipients mind without any purpose. Thus the curse wouldn't release it's hold from the witch or wizards mind, because it wasn't given any objective to complete in the first place._

_The nature of this spell is vicious and usually underestimated. Since its use died out several hundred years ago, no further research was conducted to learn the properties of this spell. One Mediwizard commented in a Special Issue Medical magazine in the early 1900's, that the reason this curse was unique to all others was because it acted as though it were a living organism, with characteristics of a virus feeding off its host._

Hermione was brought out of her thoughts as she heard the occupants of the Hospital Wing depart. There was some shuffling about as Madam Pomfrey bustled around Malfoy, making sure he was comfortable and not in need of anything. Soon the Mediwitch retreated to her office and Hermione was once again left only with the sounds of Malfoy's breathing.

After waiting several moments to ensure the Wing was empty, Hermione crawled from underneath the bed and tip-toed out of the Infirmary. She found an empty room to stay in for the night as she waited to get back to her time. Because of what the Professors planned to do, Hermione knew she had to inform them of what the spell is. If she didn't, Snape would be comatose for the rest of his life. A huge Ministry investigation would be held and all students interrogated. Harry would most likely be discovered as the one to cast the spell and be expelled, and most likely sent to Azkaban. Even though he is the Boy-Who-Lived, Dumbledore wouldn't be able to get Harry out of a mess like that.

One the other hand, if she told the Professors she had discovered the spell, they would want to know why she looked in such an old spell book in the first place. Since she learned the Professor Snape is a master at mind reading; he would know the moment she lied. Harry would get in trouble either way.

She sighed as she tried to solve this problem. _What am I going to do? Harry's life would be ruined. Am I capable of doing such a thing, even if it is the right thing to do?_

A/N: Read and Review! Thank you!


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